Work Text:
“Please don’t let him take me from here, I don’t want to go back! I’m so tired, I- oh Phoebe , I could never bear to see him again,” Sibella pleaded helplessly, chanting the words like a prayer. She looked up at Phoebe, her tear-stained eyes bearing a look of sheer terror. Phoebe reached for her, pulling her into an embrace, but she flinched at her touch, her fear of Lionel’s forced intimacy and memories of his abuse clouding her mind.
Phoebe held her in her arms, her weak and frail frame shuddering against her skin. She was so cold, and so small, and Phoebe’s heart broke upon seeing Sibella like this- her darling Sibella reduced to skin and bones at the hands of her wretched husband.
“Hush now, my darling. It’s alright, I'm here, I'll always be right here. He will never touch you again, I promise you,” Phoebe whispered in between gentle kisses and sweet caresses. She twirled her fingers in her blonde hair, stroking her back and drawing patterns across her shoulders as Sibella cried into her arms, her tears staining her nightgown.
“Please, Phoebe. Let me stay here forever. Please tell me you won’t leave me to rot in that horrid house in Clapham. I’d rather die than remain his wife! I can’t,” she hiccuped, “I can’t stay there!”
Phoebe watched as Sibella clung to her arms as if the world was collapsing around them. Phoebe breathed in the smell of her rose-scented soap as she planted kisses upon the bruises that covered her arms and chest, the faded marks upon her neck that you would never notice unless you knew what to look for, and on her tear-stained cheeks. She cupped her face tightly and brushed the loose strands of her hair away from her sweat-covered forehead.
She tilted her face upwards to look at her, and her blue eyes met Sibella’s dark eyes. In them, Phoebe no longer saw the calm and collected woman she once was. In her place, she saw a scared girl who wanted nothing more to be free from the grasp of her husband- no, her captor.
“You’ll always be safe here with me, don’t worry. You have me, my dear. No harm will ever come your way as long as you have me. You're so very strong, so very brave,” she said as she stared lovingly into her eyes.
“B-but,” Sibella tried to protest, but Phoebe cut her off with a kiss, pulling her further into her embrace. She kissed her slowly, passionately, as if she was making a promise to love unconditionally-- and that was exactly what her kiss was. A promise to have and to hold, to cherish and hold dear.
Sibella allowed the newfound warmth to envelop her body, settling into Phoebe’s arms. Usually, Sibella felt as though she was suffocating in the arms of her husband with no way out, but Phoebe’s embrace was her lifeline– she gave her the will to breathe. She allowed herself to melt into Phoebe’s touch, because when she was in the arms of her lover, she felt as though nothing mattered.
Phoebe allowed her to let go of all the burden society, her family, and Lionel had put onto her shoulders. Here, she didn’t have to be Mrs. Holland, Sibella Hallward, and Monty’s mistress. With Phoebe, she could just be, be hers without a care in the world.
They pulled away for a moment to gasp for air. Sibella pressed her forehead into Phoebe’s, locking eyes with her again before closing them, allowing herself to bask in Phoebe’s presence.
“Promise me you won’t leave me with him,” Sibella pleaded.
“I promise. I will keep you safe and warm,” she planted a kiss onto her forehead and wiped away her tears. “I will protect you from everything around you. So long as I am here, you’ll be alright. We’ll be alright. I love you.”
“Always?”
“Always, my love.”