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Chapter Text

England was a far cry from what Alice Coleman was used to in America, that was for certain. She had recently graduated from high school and now resided in Manchester, an ocean away from her home in Boston, Massachusetts. This was her first time living and studying abroad, and while she was excited, naturally she felt a degree of fear and homesickness.

Despite that, Alice was determined to make the most of her stay there, however long that would be. The first few weeks were far more difficult than she had anticipated them to be, and not entirely because of the work. 

One day, she was helping a more experienced matron, Agnes, deal with a particularly difficult patient, a middle-aged man who was often brought in the next morning after another pub brawl.

The man seemed rather keen to leave, something the matron absolutely refused to let him do. 

"Just get me out of this fucking bed and let me have at the bastard again, you see if I won't!" he spat. Agnes rolled her eyes. 

"What, to see you back in here in ten minutes?" she said dryly. "Alice, get the gauze and the bandages, would you?" 

"Of course, Agn- Matron," Alice said, quickly correcting herself. While some of the other members of staff didn't like her much, Agnes had taken Alice under her wing like a mother hen, and she had to remember to be professional around her in public. Once or twice, she had even found herself accidentally calling Agnes "Mom". 

At the sound of Alice's accent, the insufferable man sat up. 

"Still can’t believe you lot are hiring Yanks in this place," he snapped. "Lazy layabouts that can't even be arsed to send over some help to our boys on the line! So-called allies ." 

Alice winced at the ferocity of his words but said nothing. She had only been there for a short while - if she retaliated she could risk losing this opportunity altogether. However, Agnes spoke up for her. 

"Another word like that and I'll have you thrown out," she snapped. "Just so you know, she's here to help our boys and lazy layabouts such as yourself, you hypocritical bastard." 

Had anyone else said that, they would have been given a warning on the spot, but everyone was afraid of Agnes. Even the man cowed and remained silent, though Alice could see he was fuming.

She gave Agnes a quick smile in thanks before bringing her the things she had asked for. Agnes continued to show her how things worked, steadfastly ignoring the man's continual angry mutters, which had started up again. Alice found it rather difficult to ignore, however, the insults being whispered so quietly even Agnes couldn't pick up on some of them. 

However, she had eyes like a hawk, and soon picked up on Alice's discomfort. 

"What did I tell you?" she said angrily. "D'you want me to have you chucked out? Because I can have it arranged. Shut up or treat it your own damn self!" 

The man shut his mouth whilst Alice stifled a giggle. She couldn't be more relieved to finally get away from him and his detrimental jibes, though they weren't the first she had heard since she'd moved to England.

"You've been lovely this morning," Agnes said, after they were both finished with him. "Why don't you nip out for twenty minutes and I'll get the rest sorted out? You deserve a break." 

"Thank you, Agnes," Alice said gratefully. Come to think of it, she was rather hungry. That morning had been particularly taxing and so, pulling on her coat, she decided to "nip into" the local pub down the road, as Agnes would say. 

One thing about the British, Alice thought, they had little sayings and slang that she found rather funny.

The pub was half-empty, though, she supposed, it was rather early to start drinking at eleven in the morning. The bartender, Jack, she was quite familiar with. He was a charming, middle-aged man that Alice liked to spend her breaks chatting with whenever she happened to "pop in". 

"The usual, Miss Coleman?" he asked when she approached the counter. 

“I've told you, it's Alice, Jack,” she smiled. “And yes please, if that's okay.” 

“It's more than okay,” Jack laughed. He found her ‘Americanisms’, as he would call them, fascinating and funny at the same time. He pushed over a glass of water and a sandwich. “Made any new friends yet, then?” 

"Other than you and Agnes?" she sighed. "No, not really. I'm not really good at making friends that easily. And the other nurses are all friends with each other already, I wouldn't want to intrude."

"I get what you're on about," Jack said. "I don't see many of 'em in here, but you'll see 'em walking up and down outside, usually." 

He finished polishing a glass and set it down before he continued. 

"Must be hard settling in, I know," he said sympathetically. "A lot of us here aren't particularly fond of Americans, 'seen as they think they're not helping out our lads. It's not your fault, though, and I think it's summat' they ought to remember. 'Specially 'cause it's not like you can help who you are, can you? You're a lovely lass, I'll tell you that much. Besides, you're doing your bit, aren't you, fixing up the bastards?" 

"Yeah, I guess," Alice said, exhaling. "I wish they'd not get so damn angry at me all the time. I had a man just now who wouldn't stop saying nasty things about me. He keeps getting brought in after fights, but I always forget his name-" 

"That'll be Billy from down the road," Jack said wisely. "No wonder he gets in so many fights, nobody can stand the silly old fart." 

The pair of them started laughing before Jack's attention was diverted. 

"Tom, lad, you're back home!" 

"Haven't seen you for ages, Jack!" 

Alice turned to her right and saw a young man standing beside her, dressed in the uniform of what she recognised to be the Royal Navy, including the hat, and a beige overcoat. 

He couldn't be much older than herself, she thought. As it turned out, she was right - he was twenty, only a year older than herself. 

"Got yourself a girl, then, have you?" Tom grinned, motioning towards Alice, and her cheeks burned at the same time Jack burst into laughter. 

"Martha would have me for tea, you little bastard!" he said. "No, she's Alice from up the hospital. She's on a break, aren't you, love?"

Alice nodded, before remembering to speak. "That's right, yeah," she said quickly. 

"You're American?" Tom said in thinly-veiled surprise. "What're you doing down here, then?" 

He didn't sound malicious but rather genuinely curious, as though he couldn't believe she'd chosen to come here of all places, but still she stiffened - it was a habit by this point. 

"I came here to study," she replied. "To be a nurse. Agnes - you know, the matron - she's showing me how things work. I've been working at the hospital for a few weeks now."

Tom gave her an appraising sort of look. "I've heard about Agnes. Apparently she's terrifying." 

"She's great to me," Alice replied, "but I can see why you'd think so. She gave that man - Billy, wasn't it? - an earful today." 

"Oh, I remember Billy," Tom laughed. "He's in the hospital again?" 

"Aye, that he is," Jack said, "but nothing new, eh? So how's Douglas and Lois? You gone over yet?" 

"Nah, they're not home yet," Tom replied. "I reckon I'll let myself in and surprise them in a bit, eh?" 

"You'll give your old man a heart attack, lad," Jack said with a smile. "Poor Douglas was proper torn up when he heard about your ship being attacked. All of us thought you were gone for good."

"I've proved you lot wrong, then, haven't I?" Tom said. He gave Alice a wink, and she quickly averted her eyes. "Yeah, poor Dad. That definitely sounds like him, worrying all the time." 

"But he means well, o'course," Jack said. "Ooh, almost forgot to ask. D'you want anything?" 

"I'll have a pint, if you don't mind," Tom decided, setting down a little cage on the counter as Jack turned away. 

"What's - is that a canary?" Alice asked, peering at the little yellow bird chirping inside. She hadn't noticed it until then, and curiosity got the better of her. Why on earth was he carrying one around? 

"Yeah, she's a little beauty, in't she?" Tom smiled. "Jenkins, she's called." 

She stared at him. "She's called what?" 

"Jenkins," he repeated matter-of-factly.

"Jenkins," she said. "The canary's called Jenkins. Um, can I ask why?" 

"'Cos it's a nice name, innit?" Tom replied, as though it was obvious. "Who else has a canary called Jenkins? Yeah, no one, except me." 

He looked rather proud of himself, so Alice did not say anything, though her mind was full of questions. 

"When d'you reckon they'll be back?" Jack asked, handing Tom a drink. "Ooh, where'd you pick this one up from, then?" he added, noticing the canary. 

"Should be back in...fifteen minutes, I'd say," Tom said, eyeing the clock. "I got her from one of the other lads before we boarded the ship. Made quite a bit of money off her too, she was a 'rate good investment." 

"How did you get money from her?" Alice asked, growing more curious by the minute. English people were full of surprises, she was learning. 

Tom grinned. 

"We were placing bets on what time she'd lay an egg," he said. "It was going' alright, till our mate Vic confiscated the money."

"Why did he do that?" Alice asked. 

"'Cos I got into a fight with this other lad," Tom replied rather matter-of-factly. It seemed like he, too, got into them quite often. "We lost Vic when we were attacked, poor bastard." 

He paused for a moment, frowning a little, and she suddenly felt rather sorry for him. 

"Anyways, this other lad, Henry, he lost an arm when we were attacked, so I thought it best for him to have the money."

"Oh, that was nice of you," Alice smiled. "Where is he now?" 

"No idea," Tom said. "I hated him."

She stared at him. "You… hated him?" 

"Yeah, and he hated me," he replied. "He was the one I nearly got into a scrap with earlier, so he made me swear not to tell anyone what I'd done, y'know." 

"But you-" 

"Just told you, yeah," Tom said, scratching the back of his neck. "Ah well, it's not like you're gonna run and tell him, eh?" He gave Alice a little grin before knocking back some of his drink. 

She chewed on her sandwich, taking him in while he made easy talk with Jack. He seemed to be like most of the other lads there, confident and slightly cocky, but his heart was in the right place. She decided she quite liked the young man, but as it stood, she'd probably not see him again after her break was over. 

Besides, she thought, her eyes darting up to the clock, if she didn't leave soon she'd be late to meet Agnes, and the matron would not be impressed. 

"I'm gonna head back to the hospital," Alice said after a while, setting down her glass. "Thank you so much, Jack, I'll see you soon!" 

"Cheers, love," Jack smiled, lifting his hand as she turned to leave. 

"I'll walk you to the hospital," Tom suggested, downing the rest of his drink. "It's on the way to my dad's." 

"Oh… alright!" Alice said, slightly surprised. "If you want to, sure." 

"'Course I do," he said. "Bye, Jack!" 

"See you, lad!"

The hospital wasn't very far away from the pub, so they did not have a long way to walk. It was quiet until Tom spoke up as they both crossed the road. 

"You don't really look like you want to go back," he said rather bluntly, and Alice looked across at him. "What did Billy say to you?" 

"Just some nonsense. Whatever it was, Agnes said it was rich coming from him." 

The pair of them chuckled at that. 

"That's right," Tom said. "He's a fuckin' piece o' work, Billy is. Sorry about the language, by the way," he added as an afterthought. Alice smiled. 

"I've heard worse."

"S'pose you have, yeah." 

"And I do like it here," she continued, pulling her coat tighter around herself as another gust of wind hit her. It was not as cold a December as Alice had expected, but she was still shivering a little. "I've never been to England before, I think it's nice to experience new stuff."

"Like our weather?" Tom asked with a grin, and Alice smiled. 

"I'm from Boston," she told him. "It can get freezing out there, way colder than this. I still hate it, though." 

"Clearly," Tom said under his breath, and Alice bumped his shoulder. 

"So I bet you weren't expecting England to be like this," he continued, and she laughed. 

He was right - she had pictured something far different, more refined, though Alice supposed that was what she got for listening to King George VI address the nation once on the radio last year and assuming England's people were all as posh. 

"I guess you can tell I don't really get out much," she admitted, still smiling. 

"Well, you're not totally wrong," Tom conceded. "There are a posh lot 'round here too, but you don't really see them much, unless you're unlucky like me and your sister is goin' out with one." 

"Uh… Lois, right?" she tried, attempting to remember the names Jack had said. Tom smiled - she had it. 

"Yeah, she's going out with this bloke called Harry," he said. "But to me he's Posh Boy, 'cos he is one. I don't like him." 

"Sounds like you don't like a lot of people, huh?" Alice grinned. 

"Well, I like Jack and I like you," Tom said plainly, and Alice looked sideways at him. 

"That's it?" 

"Just about, yeah," he said, and they chuckled together. 

They reached the hospital soon after. Alice shouldered her bag and turned to Tom. “I suppose I should get going,” she said. “My shift starts in a minute, Agnes is gonna kill me if I’m late.”

Tom smiled. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

“Thanks.”

“So, will you be here tomorrow? Same time an’ everything?” he continued quickly.

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” Alice replied. “Why?”

“Nothing, really, just thought I’d pop in to visit,” he grinned.

“Visiting hours are only for seeing patients , not nurses,” Alice said, rolling her eyes. “I really need to go-”

“But my arm really hurts, Sister,” Tom moaned, lifting his free arm and exaggeratedly wincing, “look, oh, I can hardly bear it!”

Alice could not help herself smiling at his ridiculous antics, but she decided to play along. “Oh, that’s just terrible!” she exclaimed, feigning concern. “I’ll ask Agnes to see to you straight away!” 

She opened the door, beckoning him inside. The fleeting look of horror that passed across Tom’s face was what finally made her crack and burst into laughter. After a second, he too started laughing.

“I won’t keep you,” he said finally, “you’ll be late. But I’ll see you tomorrow, eh?” he added hopefully. 

Alice smiled. “Go on, then,” she conceded. “I hope things go well with Lois and your dad.”

“Cheers,” Tom said. “Hope your shift goes well.”

“Cheers,” Alice replied, mimicking his accent. Tom grinned at her, but softened into a smile when she added a ‘goodbye’ afterwards. She could hear him chuckling to himself as he turned to leave, and Alice finally entered the hospital building with a big smile of her own. 

Chapter Text

The slam of the pub doors opening jolted Alice back to reality. It was midday the next day, and once again she was spending lunch at the pub. She had zoned out into her drink almost as soon as Jack had bustled off to serve other patrons, wondering whether Tom would actually visit or whether it was all said for a laugh . Alice felt someone slump into the seat next to her and turned to see a disgruntled-looking Tom, who seemed as surprised to see her as she did him.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said, but his usual smirk didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm on my lunch break," Alice reminded him with a smile. "What's up? You don't look too good."

Tom scowled at the counter. "Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing." 

He looked sideways at her. "Had an argument with my dad," he said finally. Alice waited for a moment, but he didn't reveal any more. She waited until Jack slid him a pint before pressing further. 

"What was it over?" she asked. 

Tom's jaw clenched. 

"I'm not a coward, right," he prefaced, "but my dad wants me to go back. To fight. I'm not fucking going back, not after what… what happened to Vic." He took a large swig of his drink, setting it down a little harder than intended. "Sorry," he muttered afterwards, finally meeting Alice's eye. "I just - I can't go back." 

Alice tentatively placed a hand on his arm. It would not mend the hurt but she hoped it would reduce his anger, at least somewhat. "I can't pretend I understand, but I don't blame you," she said. "Only what are you gonna do instead? They won't let you just leave, will they?" 

Tom sighed. "No. That's why I'm deserting. I said I could join Dad's pacifist thing, but he said they'd never accept a deserter , 'n that I'd just get beaten up if I went back to prison. Or 'summat like that anyway," he quickly added upon seeing the look on Alice's face.

"But Tom, people don't take kindly to deserters," she pointed out, keeping her voice down. "Agnes told me once that they court-martial them and every one of them gets hanged without fail. I'm not trying to make you feel worse at all, I totally get you, but I'm worried what's gonna happen if you’re caught.”

“Didn’t know you cared,” said Tom, grinning weakly. 

Alice closed her eyes for a second. 

“Anyway, I don’t give one about that,” he continued, his voice hardening again. “It’s all the same in the end, innit? If I go back ‘n I survive it, then yeah, I’ll be a lucky bastard, but I’d rather get court-martialled than have to see the shit I saw last time-”

“Don’t say that,” Alice said roughly, her hand tightening slightly on his arm. “Don’t. You can’t risk getting court-martialed, Tom, no matter what you say.”

“You’re saying I should go back as well, then?” 

Alice steadily met his hard gaze. “I don’t wanna hear you’ve been hanged for desertion, that’s all.” she said quietly. “It’s not like I want you to go back, either, but what other choice is there?”

Tom downed the rest of his drink surprisingly fast. “I don’t know,” he replied, staring into his glass. 

The two of them shared an uncomfortable silence after that. It was not as though Alice did not sympathise with him, but he was as stubborn as a damned mule. What other choice, realistically, did he have? She knew he hated it, but his father was right.

Eventually, Alice knew she would have to get back to work before Agnes realised she was late. Tom didn’t look up until he heard her chair scraping against the floor. “Um, I gotta go,” she told him a little awkwardly, pulling her coat on. She was expecting him to remain moping at the counter, so she was rather surprised when he stood up and pulled on his own coat.

“Want me to walk you there?”

He was not smiling, but he no longer seemed as irritated as before, and that was enough to reassure her.

“Alright.”

~~

Normally Alice told Agnes everything that had happened to her on any particular day, even if there was nothing of any consequence to talk about. But on the next shift Agnes worked alongside Alice, which was the next morning, the matron picked up on Alice’s quiet demeanour fairly quickly. “What’s up?” she asked, resting an arm on Billy’s bedframe - he was back in the hospital after getting into another brawl at the pub. Jack would surely be grumbling about it for the rest of the day. “You’ve not been yourself today.”

Alice frowned. “Haven’t I?”

Agnes gave her a look. “Don’t give me that,” she said. “I might be getting on a bit but I’m not blind. So what happened? You having any trouble?”

“Not exactly,” Alice said, unsure of how to phrase herself. “Not the way you’re thinking. I’m just worried, I guess.”

Agnes smirked at this. “Is this to do with that boy you’ve been seeing recently?” she questioned.

“Look, are you gonna sort me out or what?” interjected Billy irritably before Alice could respond. To her utter surprise, Agnes reached over and slapped his arm. 

“Oh, shut your gob for once! I’ll sort you out whenever I bloody well please.”

Alice would have asked if that was even allowed had she not been slightly afraid of the matron. Besides, there were more pressing matters at hand. “How did you know?”

Agnes folded her arms smugly. “I weren’t born yesterday, you know.”

“Well - it doesn’t matter anyway, ‘cause it’s not like that,” Alice added quickly. “We’re only friends, sort of-”

“With the Bennett boy?” Agnes laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. “You think he’s only hanging ‘round to be mates with you?”

Rolling her eyes, Alice sat down beside Billy to patch up his arm before he decided to do it himself. “Why else?”

The matron stared at her, wondering whether she was being purposefully dense. Before she could chide her, however, Billy interrupted once again.

“‘Cos he fancies you, lass, that’s why.” He seemed just as annoyed as Agnes, and Alice came to wonder how both of them were now giving her the same look of pure exasperation. Billy had been in and out of the hospital more times than Alice could count - despite approaching his mid-fifties, he was still the local drunkard and regularly got into fights. Agnes had not been exaggerating that . 

But Billy seemed to have forgotten his aversion towards the pair in his interest in the matter, offering his own take on things - even if they were delivered in a… colourful manner. “Whatever the problem is, you’d better find him and solve it before he fucks off to war again.”

“Thanks?” Alice said, slightly taken aback. She was not inclined to take Billy’s advice at first, especially given his history, but there was nothing wrong with what he had just said - for once.

“He’s right,” Agnes reluctantly conceded. “This doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s a daft bugger-”

“Oi!”

“-but I’d do just that.”

At that very moment, Alice could’ve sworn she heard a tap on the window behind the bed. Billy always wanted a bed by the window, claiming the sun helped to clear his mind, even though the skies had been overcast for a month or so. She ignored it, focusing on Billy’s arm, until she heard it again, loud enough for Agnes to notice. 

“What on earth?” the matron muttered, walking over to see where the taps were coming from. “Alice!” she suddenly called. “Alice, I think there’s someone wanting to see you!”

Alice’s eyes widened. He can’t be serious. 

“Looks like he’s found you first, then,” Billy smirked. “Reminds me of me,” she heard him sigh reminiscently. Great .

Agnes let her away for “thirty minutes and no more, mind, you’re not on your break yet!” 

Outside Alice found Tom sitting on the steps, dressed partially in uniform with a sack by his side. “What was so urgent that you couldn’t wait till I was free?” she asked, though her voice was free from reproach. “What’s all this stuff you got with you?”

Tom immediately stood up to meet her. He had that same, quite frankly miserable look on his face from the day before, though it faded slightly when he turned to face her. “I’m going back,” he told her. “I only had a couple days leave, y’know. Decided I’d go back last night.”

Alice didn’t want to believe it. “Now?” she asked. “Like - like right now ?”

“Like right now,” Tom said, grinning a little . “The train comes in an hour, so I need to get down to the station in a few minutes. You were right, Alice. I shouldn’ta’ been such an arse yesterday.”

In spite of her shock, Alice narrowed her eyes at him. “I didn’t take you for the apologising type,” she said.

“I’m not,” he said, as cheerfully as he could manage. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so don’t you go around telling anyone about it.”

Alice chuckled. “I can’t make any promises.”

After a moment, Tom’s expression sobered. “So… yeah. I just wanted to tell you before I went. The hospital’s on the way to the station, so I thought I’d just nip over.” This was as awkward as Alice had seen him so far; his hands were shoved in his pockets and he seemed unsure of where to look.

“You’d better get going, then,” she told him with a melancholy sort of smile. Despite her age, she was not as naive as one might think. Alice was aware of the danger Tom would be returning to, and so even if he could be a little insufferable at times, she still reached up to give him a quick hug. “Come back safe, okay?” she whispered. “And try not to get in any more trouble,” she added as an afterthought. “Billy said you reminded him of himself.”

To his credit, Tom only looked mildly horrified. “Well, now you’ve gone an’ said that, I might go an’ become a pacifist like my dad,” he said, “just in case.”

“You can’t trust yourself to not get into any trouble?”

Tom grinned. “‘Course not.”

Alice wanted to roll her eyes, but she feared they would roll right out of her head from the number of times she had done that recently. Instead she handed him the sack he had rather unceremoniously dumped on the ground, going so far as to dust it off for him. She doubted it would make much of a difference, though - knowing him, he was bound to dump it somewhere much grimier at some point. “But seriously, you keep yourself safe, okay?” she instructed him. “As annoying as you are, I’d rather see you back in one piece.”

“No promises, Mum ,” he said, laughing when she shoved him. “See you!”

He gave her a wave at the gate and then just like that, he was gone. Alice had not been lying to him: he was probably the second-most annoying person to walk into her life since she had moved to England. (The title of first went to Billy, of course, but that was a given. More accurately, he had crawled into her life with several missing teeth and a bloodied face.) 

Still, she was sad to see him go. Strangely, he had helped her to settle in better than anyone else, excepting Agnes of course, with his crude jokes and total lack of self-awareness that made her laugh. He was lovely at heart, even if it took a lot of perseverance to see it.

It was with a reluctant gait that she finally turned and headed back to work, dimly remembering what it was like when her brother left. The feeling was not pleasant, and Agnes picked up on that fairly quickly - for the rest of her shift, Alice was treated well even by Billy, whose drunken mind seemed to recognise her subdued mood. 

She felt grateful for it, she supposed, but already she was beginning to miss Tom and she didn’t know why. If he had survived the last time, he could surely survive this. They didn’t make many self-preserving idiots like him.

Chapter Text

By early March of 1940, Alice’s role as a simple intern had grown until she found herself assistant to the matron, Agnes firmly declaring she was soon to be an outstanding nurse in her own right. The compliments left Alice glowing, but as the weeks passed, she was growing more and more restless. 

It had been three months since Tom’s departure, and she had not heard a word from him since. The last she’d heard, the HMS Cossack had been badly hit by a German ship loaded with British POWs, and after hearing about that , Alice found herself worried sick. There was no exact news about the casualties other than the numbers as of yet, no matter how hard she tried to find out. She wanted to write, but where to?

If he was still alive, she would simply have to wait for him to return home. If he had not survived, the telegram would go to his family, and she would never realise. Somehow, that felt worse than knowing either way.

Alice did not want this to interfere with her goal in becoming a nurse, and a “bloody good one at that”, as Agnes would say. So she pushed her anxieties down and focused on her work harder than ever, although her mind was often plagued with uncertainty.

One morning as she was about to leave for her break, the postman stopped Alice at the doorway. “Letter for you, miss,” he said, handing it over. “I’ll be off.”

Alice smiled her thanks as he left. Her name and the address of the hospital were both carefully copied out, although the handwriting was a little scrawled. The image of the king’s face in the top right corner was slightly stained, probably by spilt ink.

Her curiosity piqued, she did not wait to find a seat before opening the envelope and drawing out the letter within. It was from Tom, she discovered with a huge sigh of relief, and was dated February 18th.

Dear Alice,

I bet you’ll be really chuffed to hear that I’m safe and well. Sorry if this letter sounds off at all. I've never really written one before. The one you’re reading is probably the second version of this letter because my mate Pete here’s a proper stickler for spelling. He says mine’s “atrocious” which is a stupid way to spell atroshus. He’s letting me leave that in “to show how bad it is.” It’s not that bad. Pete’s just a swot.

Alice could not help but laugh at that. Even through simple words on paper, she felt like she could hear his voice. Shaking her head, she continued reading.

You won’t believe what happened two days ago till I tell you. Or maybe you’ll have heard by now, I don’t know how long it’ll be till you get this letter so I’ll just assume you don’t know. Makes it more interesting. Pete’s shaking his head, he says you’ll probably already know by the time you get this. I’ve just told him to shut his gob and let me finish. He smacked my head just now so I’ve swiped his hat and sat on it. Hahahaha idiot.

I don’t know if you can tell but we’re in Scotland right now. It's a place called Leith. Port place. You’ve probably never heard of it but that’s alright because I haven’t either. I’d come down and pay you a visit if we didn’t have to leave again in a few days, the furthest we’re allowed to go is the loo. Pete says I should call it the “lavatory”. I don’t even know how to say it so I won’t. Pete’s almost as bad as Posh Boy sometimes so it’s a good thing I like him.

(I wish he’d shut up about commas. He says I don’t use them enough and it drives him mad. Maybe he should stop reading over my shoulder then. He’s smacked my head again the bastard.)

Alice smiled, even if she agreed with Pete. The lack of commas was giving her a slight headache.

Anyway back to the 16th. We were on this ship called HMS Cossack somewhere in Norway and it was bloody freezing. Hated it. There was this German ship with 200 POWs on there and it was our job to go and rescue them. The bastards rammed us really hard and we nearly could’ve got crushed if there wasn’t a load of ice. Now I think about it I don’t mind it being freezing anymore because it saved us and all. We managed to get them all out onto our ship safe but the Germans didn’t seem too pleased about that. Ha ha.

Mind you it was a lot of really hard work. I did loads, I was right at the front helping the POWs get onboard. For God’s sake. Pete’s smacked my head AGAIN. He says I’m bragging to impress you. I’m not bragging I’m just saying what happened and if it happens to impress you then that’s got nothing to do with me.

Alice could not resist rolling her eyes at that.

He won’t stop going on about bloody commas so I’ll try and make him stop. It was, really dangerous, and, it was a, miracle, that, all of us, survived. 

You’ll never guess what he’s done now.

“Smacked your head?” Alice wondered to herself.

Smacked my bloody head. I swear to God this man can never be happy. Reminds me a bit of Posh Boy’s mum but you haven’t met her yet so never mind.

We got to Leith yesterday and it wasn’t much better to be honest. The weather’s pretty wank but at least the lads are all safe. And me of course.

Well enough about me. I should’ve asked earlier but Pete distracted me. How are you doing at home? I hope the hospital’s treating you well. You’re going to make a cracking nurse, I bet Agnes is well proud of you. Wonder if Billy’s come back. I’m a bit jealous of him if I’m honest. He gets to break a leg and visit you whenever he likes but I say I twisted my ankle and I can’t go home. Pete says I was faking it because the ankle I twisted changed too many times but that’s stupid because what if I twisted both of them? 

Of course he did, she thought, chuckling.

Anyway I really miss you Alice and I'm sorry for being a twat in the pub that day I was just pissed at my dad. I didn't mean it I promise. 

To be honest, Alice had all but forgotten that day in the pub, his surlier-than-usual manner clearly an outlier that she had not taken to heart. It touched her that he still cared about that, though. 

By the way I told my sister Lois all about you when I got back. That was after I got in that argument with my dad. I needed to take my mind off it so I told her about you and she said that you sounded nice. She also thinks that you “deserve a medal” for putting up with me but I wasn’t pissed off anymore so I didn’t mind. Maybe you do.

Finding out that Tom had already told his sister about her left Alice pleasantly surprised, and nothing short of relieved to know that she liked her. “Maybe you do,” she read aloud to herself, and smiled. Idiot .

I wish we got to go home before we went off somewhere else again but I don’t get leave until the summer. At least we get to go sailing round the Mediterranean (that’s a bastard of a word to spell) next so that’s fun. I can’t wait to tell you what it was like when we get back. Maybe when the war’s done I can go back and take you there but ONLY if you promise to let me take you round Bellevue first.

Bellevue? Alice had no idea where that was, but it sounded quite nice.

I’ve only got a tiny bit of space left. I’ll slip the address of the place we’re headed next if you ever want to write back. I hope you do. You have to tell me if you’re a nurse yet. Bet you are but still it’s always nice to hear from you. Fair warning though I don’t know how long it’ll take me to get back to you. All depends on what we're told we can do. Also sorry about the postage fee it’s probably gonna cost a bit more now. I’ll pay you back when I see you again. Promise.

Take care Alice. I hope I get to see you soon.

Tom xx

The letter was so quintessentially Tom-like, down to the stubborn lack of commas and the squeezed-in writing at the end. Coupled with the sheer relief of knowing that fool had survived, Alice had hardly stopped smiling the entire time she read it. 

Immediately she wanted to write back to him, to ask how the Mediterranean was treating him. With the current state of the weather in Manchester, she was almost envious.

She returned to work and spent the rest of her shift in remarkably good spirits, nearly rushing home to pen a letter. 

Dear Tom, she wrote, and then paused. When it came down to it, she was not much more experienced in writing letters than Tom, for she'd had little previous need to. Rereading his letter, she finally picked up her pen again. 

I’ve never heard the word ‘chuffed’ before, but I’m guessing it means ‘happy’, so I suppose I am chuffed to know that you’re doing alright. 

She was far more than chuffed, but he didn't need to know that - he would probably tease her to death about it. 

To be honest, I was worried sick about you. The last I’d heard, HMS Cossack had been hit as you said, but there was hardly any word about who had survived and who hadn’t. I tried to find out but it was close to impossible. Most of the patients I assist Agnes with prefer not to listen to the radio for whatever reason, so I had to put up with that and listen to it later, as soon as I could.

If Pete is still with you by the time you get this letter, could you please tell him how grateful I am that he was kind enough to correct your spelling? I hope you are grateful for it too, even though you didn’t sound that grateful. I wonder how many times he has had to smack your head since you sent that letter.

Alice laughed at the idea, resting her cheek in her hand as she wondered whether she would ever get to meet Pete. He sounded like someone she would get along with. 

You’re probably sailing around the Mediterranean right now. I hope you know exactly how jealous I am. The weather here is absolutely appalling right now, honestly! I moved away from Boston to get a change of scenery but it seems like the weather followed me across the Channel. It’s been raining every day for weeks and it’s way too cold for it to be March.

I’ve never heard of Bellevue before but the name sounds swanky, so I wouldn’t mind being shown around at all. Anything is better than what we’ve got going on right now. On the plus side, Billy hasn’t been much of a nuisance since you left. I guess he felt bad for me so he toned it down a little (well, either that or Agnes threatened to give him a kick in the balls again) until he left. He hasn’t come back since and Jack says he’s not trashed the pub at all, which is good. 

I’m glad you think I’ll make a good nurse. I really hope I will - Agnes says that I’ll be great too, and that I’m nearly there now. You don’t know this, but right now I’m her main assistant which is the closest I get to being a proper nurse, which is really promising according to her. (I don’t want to brag, but she also said that I’m one of the finest assistants she’s ever had. I’m not too sure whether she just said that to cheer me up when I found out your ship had been hit, but it definitely worked.)

I wonder what you’re all doing down in the Med right now. The radio never said anything about another mission so maybe they’ve dressed this up as a holiday for you guys. I think that would be nice of them, and you’d all deserve it too (even if that’s unlikely. Still, you’ll know what’s going on way better than I do.)

Jack told me to tell you that your dad and your sister are doing well right now, which is lovely. He seemed like he was going to tell me something about your sister but he decided against it, but maybe I’m reading too much into it. Anyway. He says I should pay them a visit some time, but I don’t know how they’d feel about that. I’m glad your sister thinks I’m nice, from what I’ve heard she sounds lovely. According to Jack she’s a cracking singer too. Apparently she’s in ENSA, which is so amazing! I’ve heard it’s difficult to get into.

Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking about doing my part in this war, too. I know my country isn’t involved but I’ve been here long enough to feel like I should be doing something. When I do end up being a proper nurse, I’m going to ask Agnes what I can do while I’m still here. I guess you’ve inspired me somehow (but don’t let that get to your head).

Come home safe, okay? I miss you too. Agnes has already threatened to kill you if you don’t come back (try not to think about the logistics of that one too much).

  Alice xx

She gave the letter a quick once-over before deciding it was good to post. She pulled out the envelope Tom had sent containing the address the letter would hopefully reach, and carefully copied it out, making sure not a word was misspelt. The letter from Tom was kept safe in the bag Alice took to work every day, so she could take it out and give it a quick read to reassure herself whenever things sounded particularly bleak. And as more time passed, it increasingly felt that way. By late March, she had still received no response from Tom, which she chalked up to the greater distance between them. Still, she worried, even if it was irrational.

The only thing that served to lift her spirits was when she passed her final exam and, once Agnes finally thought she was up to scratch, became a proper nurse, just as Tom had said she would. She continued to work at the hospital, albeit without the guidance from Agnes and on different wards. The work never got easier and there were days where the patients felt impossible to deal with, but she stuck through it. She had to, if she were to be seen as helpful in any sense.

One day, after seeing how little had improved for her, Agnes made a proposal.

“Paris. You want me to go to Paris?”

Alice wasn’t sure she had heard the matron correctly. Paris was in a whole other country , and Agnes wanted Alice to be transferred to a hospital there?

“Well, I’m not forcing you to,” the matron said, shrugging. “But you have your papers and a good letter of recommendation from myself. Why not?”

“Because it would mean I leave Manchester and I have to get acquainted with a whole new set of rules, that’s why,” Alice responded, a little waspier than she had intended. “Oh - God, I’m sorry, Agnes, I’m just so on edge since… y'know.”

Agnes nodded solemnly. Alice had made it clear that there was nothing going on between her and Tom, but she still had the same anxieties that other nurses with actual sweethearts off in France were having. It had been months since he had left, and Alice had had no word since the first letter she had received. He was a friend, and she was worried for him. 

The matron felt for her, in her own brusque way. 

“I thought about that,” Agnes said. “It’d be much better experience for you, you said yourself you’re sick of the arses you have to treat every day. That’s why we found a hospital in Paris what’s got other American doctors and nurses there, as well as the French ones. Maybe you’ll make some friends,” she added, beaming.

“I hope so,” Alice sighed. “I just don’t know yet.” 

“Whenever you’re ready, you come and tell me what you want, alright, love?”

Alice nodded and the matron went back to her office, leaving the girl with a pat on the shoulder. She knew in her heart that Agnes only wanted the best for her. There was nothing left in England for her, and after meeting Tom, she wanted to help out as much as she could. Patching up middle-aged drunkards would only get the girl so far, after all, and she had written and told Tom she would do more than that.

That very evening, she had an answer for Agnes.

“I’ll do it. I’ll go to Paris.” 

“Perfect,” Agnes smiled.

Chapter Text

Paris was something else entirely. However surreal Alice may have found Manchester, Paris was ten times that. Doctor O’Connor, or Webster as he preferred to be called when not on duty, was one of the kindest men Alice had ever met. As she was the youngest person working on the ward, he had unofficially taken her under his wing. That same week, he helped her settle into the city in true Parisian fashion - by taking her to a jazz bar. There, she met Albert, a close friend of Webster’s. Alice clicked with him almost instantly.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The day before her departure rolled around all too quickly. Anxiety pooled in Alice’s stomach throughout her shift at the thought, and she could not bring herself to relax even a little until she had been to see Albert. Knowing she would not get to see him again the next day, she rushed to his apartment that evening as soon as her shift ended. 

Albert greeted her at the door with a hug. “Webster told me,” he informed her quietly once they were seated in the kitchen. “You are sure you want to do this?”

Alice looked at the floor. “I don’t want to leave Paris at all,” she admitted, “but I have to, you know I have to. It’s not safe here anymore, Albert. For me or for you.”

They shared a long look before Albert sighed. “I will miss you,” he said eventually. “Both of us will.”

“You have to leave too, you know,” Alice reiterated. “Maybe not tomorrow, but soon. Didn’t Webster say?”

“We… haven’t really spoken about it yet,” said Albert, “but I know I cannot stay for long, either.”

“You’d better get talking, Albert, if you stay any longer you’ll be in danger-!”

“Leave the persuasion to me,” he said, cutting across her gently. “You don’t need any more worries on top of what you already have.”

Alice frowned, but did not argue. She knew Albert could be very persuasive when he wanted to be, and she trusted Webster to give in and devise a route for him, too. “Promise me you’ll talk to him as soon as you can,” she said finally. “‘Cause then I can leave feeling a little reassured tomorrow, at least.”

Albert smiled. “If it means you will be less jittery,” he said, “I promise.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Alice replied, the corners of her lips turning upward.

~~

Pretending everything was as normal the next day at work was perhaps the hardest thing Alice had ever done - both because the German soldiers were still patrolling up and down the wards, reminding her of the task that lay ahead, and because her mind kept drifting back to the conversation she had had with Albert the previous night. She had stayed at his apartment for a long time, talking and reminiscing - and shedding a few tears too - until eventually night fell and she’d forced herself to return to her own apartment.

The afternoon shift was busy enough that Webster could only find time to give her a sympathetic look each time they made eye contact, and so it wasn’t until their break that he could get a word in. As soon as he had gotten the last-minute advice out of the way, he dropped the professionalism and wrapped her in a hug. “I’m gonna miss having you around,” he said. “Henriette told me to tell you the same on her behalf.”

“Will you leave?” Alice asked at once. Webster sighed.

“I don’t know,” he said truthfully. “I don’t think I can...  or should. I’m needed here.”

“I was going to ask if we could write, but…”

He shook his head and sharply exhaled.

“If you don’t hear anything, then it means I’m okay,” she said finally.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Webster said. “I know you’ll be able to take care of yourself. Just watch out for Tom, okay? I’ve tried to tell him all I can but I don’t know if he’s totally understood the importance of keeping quiet.”

Alice smiled. “I’ll let him know,” she said. “If anything goes wrong, just assume it’s his fault.”

The two of them laughed despite the dire circumstances, but there was not much else to do.

Eventually, Webster’s eyes darted to the clock. “We should be getting back to work,” he said, a note of regret in his voice. Alice wiped her eyes and quickly hugged him again, trying to keep the tears from her eyes as she realised that could easily be the last she would see of him - at least in the distant future.

The second half of her shift felt even more difficult to handle than the first, seemingly having to fight her tears all the way through,  but she stuck with it until evening came and her shift ended. Now, she had to put on a brave face, even though she would miss everyone terribly. Her sadness at leaving overwhelmed any semblance of fear she had had, at least, but it meant she was a lot more reserved than usual.

Still, she remembered what Webster had told her. The technical bits. Stay until the end of your shift, leave as normal, and the guide will be waiting at the steps. However, she had no idea who the guide would be, not until she descended those steps and was met with a woman hardly older than herself.

“You are Alice?” she asked, her voice softly accented. Alice nodded quickly. “I’m Giulia.”

“Are we gonna be waiting for him here?” Alice checked. “If he’s late-”

A tap on her shoulder from behind startled her. “Nah, I’m on time, I reckon,” said Tom, ducking his head out from under the bannister and giving her that ridiculous grin. 

“God, Tom, you scared me!” said Alice, pretending to be affronted. 

“Sorry,” he laughed.

“Shall we go?” said Giulia, interrupting them. Alice nodded apologetically, letting her lead the two of them out to the doorway. The night was pleasantly warm, and could be almost enjoyable, had the view not been spoiled by the Nazis dotted around the streets.

“So, how do we go about this?” Alice queried. “Won’t it look suspicious for all three of us to be walking around at night?”

Giulia nodded. “I was thinking you could follow us from a few metres behind,” she suggested, “that way it looks like you are on your usual way home by yourself. He will walk next to me - if we pretend we are lovers, it will attract less suspicion.”

“Oh,” said Alice. “Um - okay. That’s fine, I can do that.”

She waited until Giulia and Tom were a good enough distance away before she left the building, holding her bag close to her as she followed them. Alice had not realised she was frowning until her forehead began to ache, the way it would if one frowns for too long. 

Being only a few metres away as Giulia had suggested, Alice was able to hear - and see - what they were doing. To further the impression that they were lovers, they were walking hand-in-hand, although Giulia was not saying much - it was Tom doing all the talking.

“If there’s anything else you want us to do to look like lovers,” she heard him murmur, “you know, just say.”

Alice distinctly heard Giulia scoff at the very suggestion and immediately decided she liked her. However, it did nothing to stop a scowl pervading her features. So now he was suddenly a great flirt?

Whatever, she thought to herself, but her hand tightened around the handle of her bag. It was irrational of her to be so irritated, but irritated she was. 

The only positive was that no one stopped her on the street - as this was her daily route to the hotel, there was nothing to arouse suspicion. 

Alice entered the lobby of the hotel a minute or so after Giulia and Tom. Rather than stop at the counter, she headed straight upstairs to her room. Webster had told her that the guide had been informed of the room she was staying in and would therefore be staying close by - but not too close. 

Closing the door behind her, she let out a frustrated sigh. Leaving Albert and Webster behind had already hurt her enough, but she had managed to come to terms with it so far. This was the most dangerous journey she had ever embarked on, so why was it that some stupid words from Tom of all people were setting her on edge? They didn’t even mean anything… she hoped, at least.

But that in itself raised only more questions. Why on earth did she care in the first place whether he flirted with other people or not? What was it to her?

Alice set them all aside and focused on getting ready for bed, not wanting to open that particular can of worms. It was very late by this point, the quiet serving to relax her a little. 

Just as she was beginning to fix her hair, there was a quiet knock on the door. She froze, her heart beating so loud in her chest she feared whoever was on the other side could hear it. There was another knock -  still quiet, but more insistent.

Eventually, Alice knew she would have to answer. “Hold on,” she called, quickly stashing her bag behind the dresser before rushing to the door. Her fear turned to annoyance as she realised who had been knocking. “Tom!” she hissed, pulling him inside and closing the door behind them before anyone noticed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Paying you a visit,” he said, frowning. “What’s up?”

“ What’s up is that you shouldn’t be here!” Alice snapped. “Why aren’t you with Giulia? She didn’t let you leave, did she?”

Tom looked a little sheepish. “I snuck out while she was in the bathroom,” he admitted. “I just wanted to know why you’re so mad.”

“What makes you think I’m mad?” Alice muttered, sitting at her dresser.

Tom crouched down next to her. “If I had to guess, it’d be that massive frown on your face,” he suggested. At her scoff, he took her hand. “Hey . What’s up?”

“Nothing!” she insisted. “I’m just stressed. You should be in your room, not here, anyway. Before Giulia knows you’re gone, you need to go.”

“Is it ‘cos I was flirting with her?” Tom asked, inadvertently hitting the nail on the head. 

Alice would never admit it, though.

“No,” she said quickly, “obviously not. If you’re gonna look like sweethearts, it’d be strange if you didn’t do that.”

“Well, that’s what I was thinking too, but Giulia told me to shut up pretty quick,” he smiled. “Said ‘summat like I shouldn’t be heard talking in English, ‘cos I’ll get caught.”

“Still,” she said. “You know. Look, it doesn’t matter, honestly!”

“It was that, weren’t it?” he teased, nudging her a little. “Go on, admit it.”

“No!” Alice protested, but her cheeks were hot enough to fry a damned egg on. “It wasn’t. I just - um, it’s just that I’m gonna miss it here. That’s all.”

“Here?” said Tom sceptically, peering out of the window for a second. “You sure?”

The look she gave him was enough to shut him up. “Yes, I’m sure. I had to leave my friends behind and I’m worried about them just as much as I’m worried about you and me and now Giulia, too.” Well, that was true - it just wasn’t the whole truth.

“Oh,” he said. “I had no idea.”

Alice shook her head. “I didn’t expect you to,” she said. “It’s okay.”

“Well, I won’t bother you,” he said amiably, letting go of her hand. “I’ll get back before Giulia kills me.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Alice said, sitting back in her chair. “Goodnight.”

“‘Night, Alice,” he replied, pressing a swift kiss to her cheek before standing up. Alice’s eyes widened as she turned to him, but he was already leaving the room, chuckling to himself.

Now, what the hell was she supposed to make of that?

~~

The next morning, Alice was up earlier than usual. The nurse’s uniform usually laid out on the chair was replaced by normal, civilian clothes, which she quickly changed into before freshening up. That day would be the most nerve-wracking yet, as there was every chance the plan could go sideways at any point. Just to be safe, Alice pulled her papers up so they were sitting at the top of her bag, making sure they were there.

The woman behind the counter in the lobby was another young Frenchwoman, someone Alice had befriended from staying at the hotel for so long. “I’m leaving today,” she said quietly, handing in the key. The woman expressed her sadness that she was leaving, but wished her well. 

Her eyes darted toward the door, where Giulia and Tom were leaving. Just before he left, Tom turned and shot Alice a wink.

With an exasperated smile, Alice followed, shouldering her bag. As it was so early, there was hardly anyone around, meaning she could hear what was being said in front of her all the more clearly. Her smile faded as she wondered whether Tom would start flirting again (but what did it matter ?).

Although she had insisted the previous night that her annoyance had nothing to do with that, Tom seemed to have latched onto it. Whether he was actually being serious, however, was another matter entirely, something Alice kept in mind. 

The quiet morning allowed her to think about what had happened yesterday. A kiss on the cheek could mean anything, but with Tom you never knew. Whatever his intentions were, she wished he would make them clearer, because the frustration of not knowing was driving her mad. 

To be fair, she was not being entirely honest either, but without knowing how he felt, how could she be? She did not even know herself how she felt. 

Either that, or she did know and she was simply lying to herself. Whatever the case, she did not want to say anything until he said something first. Alice was not in the mood to make a fool of herself if it turned out she had misinterpreted everything with him. 

From the other side of the street, she suddenly spotted a German soldier walking by. In front of her, Tom had casually wrapped an arm around Giulia - clearly, they had noticed, too. But the action still brought that scowl back to her face, still made her stomach churn in a way she absolutely hated. 

If she was going to be honest with herself, that was all the confirmation she needed. 

Chapter Text

The church bells in the distance signalled it was twelve, and the rumble of Alice’s stomach signalled it was time for lunch. Giulia covertly led them to a small café, where she and Tom sat at a table outside together. Taking her cue, Alice sat two tables away from them, setting her bag on the ground by her shoes. 

Looking up, she saw Tom looking right back at her with a smile. Alice’s cheeks burned as she quickly leaned down and pretended to fiddle with her bag, hiding the smile on her own face.

Lunch was not very eventful, unless you counted the number of times Tom met her eye across the tables. Alice had tried not to look back, knowing how suspicious they must have looked, but she couldn’t help it. Sitting alone was… well, lonely .

She hardly got a chance to speak to them in the daytime, being forced to follow them around, even if it was for her own safety. Nightfall was the only time they could afford to be a little more relaxed, and even then she could only speak to them individually for a few minutes at a time.

Once they finally made it to the woods, however, none of that mattered. Giulia had managed to find a tiny entrance that wasn’t heavily patrolled by soldiers, and after passing through with little difficulty, they were free to walk and talk together.

Alice took the chance to become more acquainted with Giulia as the hours passed. Giulia was surprisingly talkative, something Alice had not expected - although if she was going to be fair, she doubted Giulia would have had all that much to say to Tom. She discovered that Giulia was actually Belgian, but had lived in Paris for a long time. It was practically home for her, so for as long as it was occupied by Nazis, she would do whatever she could to undermine them. 

Alice respected that.

They walked for hours together, side by side while Tom lagged slightly behind, whistling to his heart’s content.

“We have just crossed the border,” Giulia whispered conspiratorially to Alice after a while, “but don’t tell him that.”

Alice turned around to Tom. He gave her a cheerful wave and she smiled. “Okay,” she whispered back to Giulia.

“What’re you two giggling about?” Tom asked.

“Nothing!” Alice answered quickly, before turning to Giulia. The two of them shared a grin.

Another hour, and they finally arrived at a clearing beyond the opening of the woods. In the near distance stood two men in caps, waving towards them. Giulia waved back.

At the look on Tom’s face, both women laughed. “Have we crossed the border?” he frowned.

“About an hour ago, yes,” Giulia replied with an easy smile.

“And you knew - why didn’t you tell me?” Tom said, looking at Alice incredulously. “We could’ve celebrated the only way a man and a woman can,” he added slyly, to which she let out a surprised scoff.

“ That is why we didn’t tell you,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

“Look. These men will take you both through Spain into Gibraltar,” Giulia told them. “So… this is goodbye,” she smiled.

“You aren’t coming with us?” Alice asked, her face falling.

Giulia laughed. “I can’t, I’m sorry, I need to go back home. And with him? No chance. Good luck to you, Alice.”

Alice chuckled at that. “You too,” she whispered, hugging her. “I’ll miss you, Giulia. Get back safely, alright?”

Giulia nodded. Turning to Tom, she stuck out a hand, which he shook with a surprising amount of dignity. 

“Good luck,” he said sincerely. “Cheers for… everything.”

“It was nothing,” Giulia smiled. “Keep yourselves safe,” she added finally, waving as she turned to leave.  Alice sighed, watching her retreating back for a few more moments until Tom tapped her arm.

“Come on,” he said. “We need to keep going.”

~~

The two Spaniards were not nearly as talkative as Giulia had been, but for once Alice did not particularly mind that. With Giulia’s departure, she had once again become far more reserved than in previous weeks - something Tom quickly picked up on.

“What’s up?” he asked her. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” she exhaled. “I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not,” said Tom at once, and she looked at him sideways.

“How would you know?”

He looked at her as though it were obvious. “I’m not no psycho-wotsit but you’ve hardly said a word for ages now. What is it, you're missing Giulia?”

Alice chose not to dwell on the first part. “You’re smarter than you look, huh?” she said teasingly.

She wasn’t sure how to feel when Tom appeared to be genuinely pleased with that.

“Well… yeah,” she said after a moment, “I do. I just hope she makes it back okay.”

“She knows what she’s doing,” Tom said. “She’ll be alright, ‘course she will.” 

Alice tried to reassure herself with that thought in the silence that followed, punctuated only by the crunching of leaves underfoot. Although it had never been done before, Giulia seemed to have known her way around well, but Alice could not help imagining the possibility of something going wrong - for both Giulia and for herself and Tom. 

Lost in thought, she was startled back to the present by the feeling of Tom's arm around her shoulders, almost as though he had sensed her anxiety. It was certainly a new feeling, but not an unwelcome one. 

“Hey,” he murmured, “the Germans can't reach us here. We're going to Spain, now, remember? We're completely safe.” 

Alice smiled weakly. “I suppose you're right about the Germans,” she began, “but do you know who rules Spain?” 

“No?”

She winced. “General Franco.” 

“...Who?”

“He's a fascist too,” she said. 

“Oh, for fuck's sake,” he muttered. “I thought Spain was meant to be neutral!” 

Alice winced. “Technically, yeah, it is. But there was a civil war there only last year - didn't you know about any of this?” 

The perplexed look on Tom's face told her all she needed to know. 

“Okay,” she said, “well, I don't know the details, but I do know that Hitler is friendly with him. It's pretty common knowledge.” 

“How come I didn't know about it, then?” Tom asked.

Alice looked sideways at him. “With all due respect, you don't seem like the type of guy to know a lot of stuff.” 

Tom looked completely affronted. “I do know a lot of stuff!” he protested. 

“Like…?” 

“Like givinʼ the police short answers when they ask you questions.” 

“Why would the police be asking you questions?” Alice asked, narrowing her eyes. Her concern only grew at the strained grin he gave her. 

“No reason,” said Tom quickly. “I… er, I meant if.”  

“Sure.”  

“Anyway,” he continued, clearly trying to divert back to the issue at hand. “So we can't trust these lot, then?” He gestured to the men in front of them with his free hand before Alice quickly slapped it down. 

“Of course we can!” she hissed. “Do you really think Giulia would just hand us over to another bunch of fascists like that?” 

“Mm, dunno, really - kidding, I'm kidding!” Tom said quickly. 

After a moment, he added, “D’you know, Alice, I’ve never seen you wearing ‘summat that isn’t a uniform before.” 

Alice frowned up at him. “What has that got to do with anything?” 

“‘S got nothing to do with anything,” he grinned. “Just saying. You look well nice.”

“Oh!” she said, taken aback slightly. “Thank you.” 

“Sʼpose you haven’t seen me out of uniform yet, have you? Unless you want to, obviously,” he added slyly. 

“So you were sitting up in the hospital with your Navy gear on the whole time, were you?” she said dryly.

Tom frowned a little. “Oh yeah. Forgot about that.” 

Alice just rolled her eyes. 

~~

“Alice!”

Alice had been deep in conversation with one of the Spanish men in a mix of English and the little Spanish she knew from high school. They had started to open up to her a little more during the time they had spent together, her Spanish and their English being just enough to get by. She apologised to the man, who waved it off good-naturedly, and turned to her right. Alice realised then that Tom was no longer beside her but instead lagged slightly behind, his face reddened. “What is it?” she asked.

He was visibly breathless with exhaustion. “Alice, I actually think I’m gonna collapse,” he gasped, stopping completely to put his hands on his knees.

“No, you’re not,” Alice replied shortly. As soon as she turned around, however, he began to protest. 

“Alice, wait, I am!” he exclaimed. “You’re a nurse, can’t you tell ‘em to stop for a bit? If I take another step, I’ll fall over!”

If Alice had been a little less tired, she might have laughed at him, but for now she met him with a deadpan expression. “I’m willing to take that risk,” she said, walking several paces back to walk beside him again.

“Do I have to?” he groaned.

“Well I mean, if you want to become a prisoner-of-war instead-”

“Yeah, yeah, alright,” he grumbled, “fine.”

“Come on,” Alice said placatingly, hooking her arm in his. “There’s only an hour or so to go before we get there, y’know. Maybe the thought of a nice warm bed and some good food might spur you on a little, huh?”

A smile slowly broke out on Tom’s face, although his focus was more on their interlinked arms. “Yeah,” he said, “you might be right.”

~~

Just as the sky was beginning to darken and Tom was beginning to look like he would actually collapse, they finally reached the cosy cottage within the farmstead that one of the men called home. The other lived very close by, bidding them an early goodnight before they were led inside.

“Thank fuck,” Tom murmured, sinking down into the nearest chair. He rested his head in his arms and looked dangerously close to falling asleep before Alice prodded him awake.

“Aren’t you gonna eat first?” she asked. “They’ve prepared something for us already.”

“They?” he repeated sleepily.

Alice smiled. “He has a wife, you know,” he told him. “Carmen. She’s made us some soup if you fancy it.”

Just then, the aforementioned woman walked in carrying two bowls. She looked to be in her early forties and had a kind disposition - Alice had trusted her almost immediately.

“Your bedroom is ready for when you have finished eating,” Carmen informed the two of them, Tom straightening up as soon as his bowl was set down before him. While Alice thanked her in Spanish, Tom leaned forward a little.

“Bed room ?” he said. Carmen nodded as though it were obvious.

“Sí. We have one spare big enough for the two of you, I know you won’t mind.”

“I don’t,” Tom grinned. “Thanks, missus.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled as she turned to leave. “Make sure you leave your bowls in the sink before you go upstairs.” 

“We will,” Alice replied, returning Carmen's smile as she left the room. “Tom,” she added, “if you don’t wipe that damn look off your face-”

“What?” he said, although his grin had not faded one bit. “I’m just happy to be eating, that’s all.”

She shrugged and lifted the spoon to her lips. “Sure. Well anyway, one of us can take the bed and the other can sleep on the floor.”

The protest that quickly followed did not come as a surprise at all. 

“But she said it were big enough for the two of us!”

“Yeah, ‘cause she clearly thought we were together, which we are not.”

Tom started on his own bowl before eventually answering her. “Would it be so bad if we were?” he smirked.

“Eat your food, Tom.” 

Rolling her eyes had become a reflex for Alice at this point, and while Tom laughed at her reaction, privately she began to wonder if his question held any weight or if it was just him teasing her again. 

~~

“Yeah, it’s definitely big enough for both of us.” 

“Oh, shut up!” 

A knock on the door from Carmen put a brief stop to their bickering. The fresh clothes in her arms, accompanied by a friendly smile, were a welcome sight. “I know how tired you both must be,” she said, setting the clothes down on the bed. “Our bath is ready for you to use in the room on the right,” she added. 

“A bath,” said Tom dreamily. “I could kill for one oʼ them.” 

“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t have to,” Carmen laughed, patting him on the shoulder. “If you two need anything, I’ll be in the room on the left.” 

Both Alice and Tom thanked her profusely before she waved them off and bid them goodnight. Alice was nothing short of grateful - her clothes were beginning to feel like cardboard and she had been craving a warm bath for far too long. 

“D’you wanna go first?” asked Tom, perching on the edge of the bed.

“Really?” Alice said dubiously. “I thought you’d’ve jumped right in as soon as she said that.” 

“What gave you that idea?” 

“The whole way here, you looked an inch away from being taken by the devil!” 

“The devil?” Tom repeated with a laugh. “Shouldn’t it be God?” 

“Yeah, I wouldn’t get my hopes up on that if I were you,” she replied, grinning while Tom handed her dress over. “Try not to get into any trouble while I’m gone,” she added, turning away to head for the door. 

This time, it was Tom’s turn to roll his eyes. “I won’t,” he sighed, dramatically dragging out the last syllable. 

“And if you say mum- ” 

“I would never!” he protested, although the corners of his lips had turned upwards. “Would love be better?” 

Caught off-guard, Alice quickly turned back to look at him for a moment. “I mean, I- whatever you prefer, I guess,” she said, ducking out into the hallway before he could respond. 

As soon as she closed the door behind her, she cringed. What on earth had that been all about? Usually she would have replied to him with something witty, but for some reason she had completely frozen up and made things awkward. 

Closing her eyes for a second, Alice imagined what her mother would tell her to do. 

Pull yourself together. Right.  

~~

“You alright?” 

Alice jumped where she had sat down to curl her hair, quickly turning around to face Tom, who had just returned from the bathroom. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she answered. 

They stood there in awkward silence for a moment before Tom slowly resumed drying his hair with the towel. 

Alice narrowed her eyes at him.

“You are not getting into bed until you’re completely dry.” 

Tom only smiled. “So you’ve decided to share the bed, then?” 

“After all that?” Alice exhaled, standing up as soon as she had put her bonnet on. “A bed is the least we deserve.”

“Yeah,” snickered Tom, “it is- ow! Yeah, alright, fair.” 

Ruefully rubbing his arm, he followed her over to the bed, only realising he had accidentally dropped his towel when she suddenly turned around and picked it up. 

“You don’t wanna get it dirty,” she said, lightly dropping it on his head. He chuckled, catching it before it slid forward onto his face. 

“So do we keep going tomorrow?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I think so,” she replied as she climbed into bed.

“Shame. I really liked Carmen’s soup.” 

Alice laughed, rolling over on her side to face him. “Then maybe you should ask her for a recipe. I’ve heard you like cooking.” 

“Yeah, you’re right,” he grinned as he ran his hands through his hair, seemingly finished with the towel. “So, does that mean I’ll be the cook when we get married, then?” 

At that, Alice briefly froze up again, but she quickly shook her head to rid herself of the embarrassment from before. “Whatever you say,” she replied, this time with an easy grin instead of a nervous stammer. 

 “Good, ‘cos I definitely don’t mind.” 

Alice hummed and rolled onto her back, closing her eyes while Tom went to return the towel to the bathroom. “Turn out the light when you come back, okay?” she called. 

“Yeah, ‘course,” came the reply from the door, and she smiled. 

The click of the light was what caused her to open her eyes a little, soon accompanied by the feeling of the bed dipping as he climbed in beside her. 

“You know what you said about Franco?” said Tom quietly. “D’you really reckon we’ll get back safe?”

Alice sighed. “We’ll get through the mountains for sure,” she said. “Spain might be a little harder, but it isn’t France. We’ll get through safe. Then we’ll reach the embassy and we can finally go home.” 

“The embassy?” 

“In Gibraltar,” Alice rolled her eyes, “remember?” 

“Oh yeah,” he said. “You’re probably right, then.”

“When have I not been?” she joked, to which Tom chuckled. 

“Goodnight, Alice,” he said softly, leaning over and kissing her cheek.

Once again, her eyes widened and she looked across at him, only to find his eyes already closed. The dim moonlight, however, betrayed the smile on his face. Alice was left dumbstruck - his actions were only confusing her more, causing her to grapple with her feelings in a way she had never imagined she would. Several moments passed before she remembered to respond. 

“Goodnight, Tom,” she whispered, wishing she had the bravery to return the kiss. 

Chapter Text

Alice’s insomnia had only worsened during the nights following her departure from Paris. There had not been an instance where she had fallen asleep before midnight - let alone for a long time afterwards - and as a result she had been running on very few hours of sleep. 

Her first night in Spain, however, proved to be very different. Whether it was because it was also the first night she had spent without a Nazi threat hanging over her head, or because she felt comforted by Tomʼs presence beside her, she managed to sleep remarkably well. 

So well, in fact, that she did not stir even a little as the cockerel crowed early next morning. Instead, it somehow managed to wake Tom first. 

Grumpy at having been awoken so early, he made to sit up, but something across his chest was preventing him from doing so. Looking down, he realised with a start of surprise that it was Aliceʼs arm - she must have rested it there in her sleep, rather like how she had curled into his side. 

A smile began to grow on his face as he carefully lifted his arm to wrap it around her, holding her securely to him as she slept. Even for someone as unruly as Tom, he had missed the peace and quiet that early mornings like this brought, down to something as simple as the chirping of the birds outside. Sharing it with Alice almost made it seem like their situation was normal, even if only for a few hours. Unwittingly, it was moments like these that he would never forget, existing as a soothing contrast to the horrors that he had already witnessed.

Another hour or two passed in much the same way before Alice finally stirred a little. “What time is it?” she murmured sleepily. 

“Er…” Tom peered at the clock on the bedside. “Nine-fifteen.”

Alice hummed, about to drift off again before she fully woke up and registered his words. Her eyes widened as she realised both the time and the position she was in, but she did not move an inch. Perhaps it was down to sheer exhaustion or simply that she felt comfortable being held like this, but either way she was grateful for the absence of a stupid remark. 

“Morning,” Tom added, clearly having noticed she had woken up properly. He could not help the smile on his face, but refrained from saying anything he knew he would regret - it was too early for teasing after all, he conceded. One of the smarter decisions heʼd made in life. 

“It’s a bit late, innit?” was all he said. 

“Yeah. Wonder why they havenʼt come to wake us up...” 

Yawning, Alice began to pull away - albeit reluctantly - so she could start the day properly (and lessen at least some of her embarrassment), but Tom seemed to be having other ideas. 

“Wait,” he said, so quiet she was unsure she had heard him correctly at first. “‘S nicer if you stay here… can you stay here? Just for a bit, like.” His tone was almost pleading and she found it difficult to say no .

“Thought you said it was late,” she smiled. 

“Yeah, well, like you said, theyʼve not come to get us yet. I reckon we deserve a lie-in anyway, donʼt you?” 

Eyes closed, Alice hummed in response, unashamedly snuggling into his chest for warmth.

Tom huffed a soft laugh. “You goinʼ back to sleep, then?” 

“What else do you want me to do?” she mumbled, not moving an inch. 

“Talk,” he suggested. “I haven’t been able to just talk to you properly for ages, and the letters don’t count.” 

Alice finally opened her eyes. “You only ever wrote me one letter,” she dryly pointed out, “not let- ters. But I guess youʼre right,” she conceded, “it feels like it's been way too long.” 

“Well, what’s Paris been like for you?” he asked curiously. “Before everything went to shit, anyway.” 

She smiled wistfully. “It was like a whole other world. People used to say anything goes in Paris, ‘n they were right. You know Doctor O’Connor, him and his… his friend were the ones to help me settle in. He’s hardly the same person as he is at the hospital, I can tell you that.”

“What’s he really like?” 

“Well, the first thing he did after I moved in was take me to a jazz club,” Alice grinned, “and boy, have I never had as much fun!”  

Tom appeared utterly dumbfounded. “He went to jazz clubs?” 

“Mm-hm.” 

“And you’re sure it were the same one at the hospital?” 

Alice pursed her lips. “Doctors have lives too, y’know!” 

“Yeah,” said Tom, “double lives!” 

She couldn’t help but laugh at that. 

~~

The content silence that fell between them remained for some time. Alice would nearly have drifted off again had it not been broken thereafter. 

“Can I ask you ‘summat?” Tom said suddenly, the question lacking any of his usual jauntiness.

“Yeah, sure.”

“D’you… d’you think I’m a nuisance?” he asked in a low voice. “Honest?”

Alice shifted to look up at him. He was frowning at a point somewhere on the wall, refusing to meet her eye. “Tom,” she said quietly, “what makes you think I believe that?” 

He sighed. The quiet hours spent alone with his thoughts had brought him back to a self-deprecating frame of mind that he had thought he’d left in the past. 

Clearly, it had lingered.

“Dunno, I just… I feel a bit useless sometimes, y’know? Like I’m the dead weight everyone’s got to carry ‘round, the one that’s only there to make things harder for everyone. Even at home, like. I doubt my dad would be any worse off without me if I don’t come back, ‘long as he’s got my sister. You’d survive just fine without me, you survived this long before I came and mucked things up for you-” 

“Tom, stop it,” Alice said at once, cutting across him before he could continue his spiral. “None of that is true. I haven’t met your family, but I just know your dad would be devastated if you didn’t come home… and I would be, too. I mean, even back when I hardly knew you, I was barely anything other than a nervous wreck when I heard your ship had gotten attacked!” 

Although it had only been five months or so since Tom's ship had been attacked, the memory of her anxiety over it felt as though it had occurred years ago. A lot had happened between February and now. 

“I wouldn’t just survive as easy as you think, Tom,” she continued. “It took me relying on a lot of other people to help get to where I was at before you came back to me, y’know. You’re not a dead weight at all.” 

“I haven’t done anything to help, though, have I?” he muttered. “Believe me, I want to-” 

“And you have,” she assured him, “whether you know it or not. You're one of the first to try this escape route, so that if they know it works, they can use it to help so many more people get out while they can. Didn’t Webster tell you all that?” 

Tom gave her a sheepish grin. “He did, yeah.” 

Rather than rolling her eyes, Alice only smiled exasperatedly. “Well, there you are then.” 

“But I mean you , Alice,” he insisted, his mirth replaced by a look of genuine regret. “I haven’t done anything to help, I’ve done nothing but annoy you and slow you down the whole way here.” 

Alice could not understand what had provoked this reflection upon himself, or why it was happening now, but she wanted to know. 

“How long have you been thinking of yourself like this?” she asked. 

“‘Dunno,” he muttered. “A while, ‘specially after the last time I got out of prison. You might as well know about all that, so…” 

“I guessed,” she said lightly, and Tom smiled. 

“I weren’t really thinking about it all the time,” he continued, “only when I came back home to the people I cared about. Like - like now, I’m seeing how the shit I’ve been doing ainʼt helpinʼ you one bit.”

 Alice listened, and she sighed. 

“I’m not gonna lie and say you haven’t done anything to annoy me,” she said after a moment, fidgeting a little with the blanket they were sharing. “You’ve picked fights and you’ve nearly got us caught more times than I can count, but you… y’know, you’ve helped, too. You’re being too hard on yourself when you shouldn’t be. Like - okay, sure, maybe I would've survived up to here all on my own, but I don’t know how I ever could’ve handled it without you. I’ve never been great by myself, and you know I’d be worrying myself sick if you weren’t here with me. You’ve helped me keep my head just as many times as you think you screwed up. I need you, okay?” 

Tom didn’t say anything for a moment, only gazed at her as her words sunk in. The fact that she’d said she needed him despite all his faults had not ignited, but instead strengthened a strangely inexplicable warmth in his chest that he was finding increasingly difficult to ignore. Of course, he had had dalliances with girls back at home, but those were meaningless and silly, and usually didn't leave any lasting impression on either person. For some reason, this was different. It was a completely foreign feeling.

Eventually, however, he knew he had to say something rather than simply gawk at her. 

“How?” he asked. Of course he knew she believed in everything she had told him, but he could not understand how he had earned any of it. 

“You make me laugh, Tom,” Alice admitted quietly. “Every time I panic, or - or come close to panicking, at least - you’re always so quick with something funny to say that makes it seem like whatever the problem is, it’s not anything we can’t get around, you know?” 

“I s’pose, yeah,” Tom responded, but the bashful smile on his face betrayed his feelings. For once, there was no trace of his usual cockiness that one might expect after such an admission.

“You’re good with your words, huh?” Alice teased.

“You’ve got no idea, love,” he chuckled, although his smile quickly faded when she carefully unravelled herself from his arm and sat up. “Getting up already?”

Alice swung her legs around to the edge of the bed to do just that. “Well, I’d quite like to brush my teeth now, to be honest.”

As she rifled through her bag for a toothbrush, Tom’s laughter began to resound behind her. “What’s so funny?” she asked without turning around.

“Nothing,” he replied, “I was just thinking. ‘Course you do.”

Alice raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about you,” she said, “but most people actually do that every morning.”

“Ha, ha,” he said listlessly, but when she turned to look at him, his all-too-familiar smirk was back. 

“What?”

“Well,” he began, “I s’pose you can’t really kiss me if you haven’t brushed your teeth first, can you?”

His smirk widened when Alice walked back over to him. Although he was half-expecting the pillow she hurled at his face in lieu of a kiss seconds later, it still amused him.

“If you think you’re ever gonna get a kiss, you’re so mistaken,” she laughed over her shoulder, before disappearing into the bathroom.

“A man can try,” Tom sighed exaggeratedly. 

Totally unphased, however, he leaned against the headboard and whistled to himself while he waited for Alice to re-emerge. When she eventually did, he was met with a mocking smile and a tilt of the head towards the bathroom door.

“Not even brushed his teeth ‘n he’s already flirting,” he heard her mutter to herself as he closed the door behind him.

“Can you blame me, though?” he called.

Alice hummed for a moment. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

His sullen tone managed to once again invoke her laughter, dissolving the frown on his face in an instant. After what she had confessed to him, he felt himself thinking about how she looked when she did laugh; her whole face would light up and her eyes, the kindest he had ever seen, would crinkle at the corners every time. He felt a sort of pride at being able to somehow elicit that from her, seemingly just by being his (slightly idiotic) self.

When he returned from the bathroom, he found her dressed and seated on the edge of the bed, putting her makeup on using a small pocket mirror.

“I’ll be done in a minute,” she murmured, carefully applying her lipstick.

“Hey, no rush,” he smiled, leaning against the wall as he lit up a cigarette. “You don’t mind-?”

Alice absent-mindedly waved a hand. “Go ahead, but open the window first, okay?”

“Yeah, ‘course.”

No sooner had he propped it open than Alice popped the cap back onto her lipstick and stowed it away in her bag. With not much else to do, she kicked her shoes off and sat cross-legged on the bed, deciding to go through both her and Tom’s papers to make sure they were all in order.

As she had obsessively been doing just that almost every evening out of paranoia that something had happened to them, it didn’t take her long to ensure they were in place. 

Her gaze shifted to where Tom was standing. He was looking down at the farmstead below, occasionally blowing puffs of smoke out of the window. A small line had formed between his eyebrows - he seemed almost troubled.

“You okay?” she asked, making him jump a little.

“Yeah, sorry,” he smiled, “I was in another world there for a minute.”

Alice tilted her head. “Care to share?”

Stubbing out what was left of his cigarette on the ashtray Carmen had provided them with, Tom sat beside her. “I was just thinking,” he said, “what’re you gonna do when we get back to England?”

“Same as before,” Alice replied. “Work at the hospital, move back into my flat… but I won’t be doing any more transfers, I don’t think.”

He chuckled at that, before his expression shifted into something slightly hopeful. “D’you reckon you’d be up for meeting Lois ‘n my dad?” he asked. “Only I’m sure they’d love to meet the girl that saved my life an’ all.”

Alice wasn’t blind to his cheeky grin, but regardless his words made her smile. “Oh, don’t,” she said, “I didn’t do anything except escape with you.”

“Nah,” he protested, “you did more than that! I’d’a definitely got myself caught a million times by now if I were on my own, you know that.”

“Well, I-”

He gave her a look, and she cut herself off with a giggle. “Okay, maybe, yeah.”

“And besides,” he continued, “you haven’t got anyone waiting for you back there, do you?” 

“Agnes will be,” Alice said, the corners of her lips turning upward as she thought of the stern matron. She had missed her presence more than she’d thought she would.

Tom rolled his eyes. “Anyone other than your boss?” 

At the sheepish silence that followed, he shook his head. “Well, then, I’m taking you to meet my family. They’d love having you ‘round, I’m sure.”

“Thanks, Tom,” Alice smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. He noticed immediately.

“What’s up?”

“I miss my family,” she admitted. “I’ve called them from the hospital a bunch of times, but I haven’t seen them in person for a year now. More than that, even.”

Tom patted her hand. “I'm sorry about that,” he said. “Would it help to talk about ‘em? I forgot you never said ‘owt about ‘em before.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I have a little sister too, y’know. She’s called Evelyn and she’s sixteen in two weeks.”

“Bet you miss her loads, eh?” Tom sighed, understanding the feeling all too well.

Alice hummed. “Yeah. I’ve even started missing her antics, and I never thought I’d miss them after moving out.”

“What sort of stuff does she do?” asked Tom curiously.

“Taking notes, are you?”

He grinned. “Maybe.”

“Well,” she started, “when she was about ten, she learnt the worst cuss words in every language she could find to use on me in front of our parents. They didn’t ever know what she was saying, all they saw was Evelyn learning lots of different languages as a hobby and rewarded her for it.”

Amused, Tom nudged her. “Sounds like you’re still annoyed.”

“Not as annoyed as I was when I called home from the hospital a couple months ago and she yelled some nonsense into the receiver,” Alice said, “and it caught me so off-guard I screamed in front of half the damn ward!” 

The embarrassment was still fresh in her mind, although not as much as the promise she had made to get Evelyn back for it. Unfortunately, her sister had been laughing too hard to hear it.

“Wish I’d been there for that,” snorted Tom. “She sounds great.”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Alice grinned. “Her favourite hobby as a little kid was chasing me around the house with a knife ‘cause she thought me screaming for my life was hilarious. It’s like her version of a baby laughing every time you make silly faces at it.”

Much to her chagrin, Tom was positively beaming . “I used to do that too!” he said excitedly. “It was ‘rate funny ‘till Lois started doing it… ‘least she stopped after a bit.”

“When did you stop?” Alice dubiously asked. Evelyn had thankfully grown out of it by around the age of twelve, which was still unsettlingly late.

Tom looked sheepishly at her. “‘Bout four years ago, maybe.”

So taken aback at this, she burst out laughing. “Are you serious?” she asked between giggles.

Grudgingly, Tom smiled. “Bet you’re wondering how I managed to pull at all acting like that.”

“I really wasn’t,” she snickered. “You never actually mentioned that before-”

“Well , I’ll tell y-”

“And I’m not inclined to believe any of it,” she finished. 

He looked utterly scandalised. “You telling me you wouldn’t believe I ever pulled any girls? ‘Dunno why I’m still speaking to you.” 

“Maybe one or two suckers,” Alice amended, “if I’m being generous.”

“I wouldn’t’a thought you’d call yourself a sucker,” Tom sighed dramatically, “but-”

“I’m not!”

He smirked. “Really?”

Alice looked sideways at him. “You’re the sucker,” she muttered, giving him a light shove before he saw the grin on her own face.

But he didn’t shove her back. “I know I am,” he said simply, with no trace of laughter in his voice. “I’m saying I think you are, too.” 

Alice’s expression quickly sobered. “What are you actually trying to say?”

He sighed. “You’ve not exactly been hiding it, Alice, have you?”

Although her heart was frantically beating in her chest, she still sat back, waiting expectantly for him to keep going.

“Y’know, I - I knew ‘summat was up when you got really annoyed at me that first night,” he continued, “‘cos you couldn’t give me a proper reason when I said it was ‘cos you were jealous-”

“I thought I told you I was missing the people at the hospital!”

Tom exhaled, actually sounding exasperated. “Yeah, I know, but that weren’t the only reason, was it?”

Alice swallowed and met his earnest gaze. “Yeah, well, you - you weren’t being so subtle either, were you?” she countered, albeit a little waveringly.

“Weren’t trying t’be,” he shrugged, and they both knew he had her beaten there. “So you ain’t denying it, then, are you?”

No, she wasn’t, but she would be damned if she said anything when the look on his face was so smug . Rather than say a word, she looked determinedly at the floor.

Noticing her annoyance at once, Tom’s expression softened. “I can’t believe this,” he said.

“What?” she muttered.

“Were we really gonna start arguing over this,” he asked, huffing a soft laugh, “and forget what we just admitted to each other?”

When he put it that way it did seem rather ridiculous, and she couldn’t stop a laugh from escaping her. “That’s just typical,” she said. “I guess I can’t ever admit to being wrong about something, can I?”

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to say that I was right from the start,” he smiled, gently cupping her cheek. 

“Don’t push your luck,” she warned him, but she was chuckling as he drew her closer-

“Alice!”

The two of them sprung apart at the sudden loud knocking. 

“Alice, breakfast is downstairs when you two are ready!” Carmen cheerfully said through the door. “My husband’s friend is here, so bring your bags with you.”

“We’ll just be a minute!” Alice called back. Turning back to Tom, she smirked at the disgruntled look on his face. “Come on, aren’t you hungry?” 

“Yeah, but I-” 

Alice cut him off with a swift kiss on the lips before grabbing her bag and walking to the door. “We don’t wanna keep them waiting, do we?”

She stifled a giggle watching the dazed look on his face take several moments to dissipate, before he got up and followed her out of the room. 

“Didn’t think it’d happen like that,” Tom murmured, although he was still smiling widely. 

“What, me shutting you up?” she grinned. “I’m more than okay with that.” 

“Yeah, so am I,” he sighed, and she burst out laughing.