Mixing Colour With The Grey

by Lolsome-o-sis girl

[Tom/Lexi] "Huh. It is true what they say about Brits. Always seem to know each other somehow."

Mixing Colour With The Grey.

Fandom: Wizards vs Aliens

Rating: T

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Romance

Pairing: Tom/Lexi

Word count: 17124

Summary: [Tom/Lexi] "Huh. It is true what they say about Brits. Always seem to know each other somehow."

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AN: I've had this idea for a while, this kind of continuation/reunion fic, especially after series 3; the initial premise has gone through many different versions and POV changes, but eventually, I settled on this, and it's finally worked, which I'm really glad about. It's also really long; I only planned to make it roughly three thousand words, and it's ended up being over fifteen thousand. Oops?

**Rated T for safety. It got darker than I originally intended, but I was kind of proud of the way it was written, and it felt more realistic, in my opinion, so I left it as it was. I apologise, in advance, if it makes anyone uncomfortable.**

Title comes from the song "Rebound", by Flosstradamous and Elkka, which inspired this whole fic.

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DISCLAIMER. I own nothing.

---

November, 2019

"Trust me, mate, you'll love it."

"Hm," Is all Tom says in reply, as he drains the last of his coffee.

It's currently nine thirty in the morning, and Benny Sherwood, science professor extraordinaire in a rather humble division of MIT, is currently standing in the staff room - or, the teacher's lounge, according to the silver sign on the door - with his best friend by his side once more, having wrangled him in as the new trainee professor. Trainee professor in what, exactly, Benny forgot to specify, but he's sure that Tom will manage to find a way to make it work. He's been assigned to one of the younger years, anyway, for the child geniuses, already capable of the basic year eleven science that he's pretty sure Tom can remember from their time at Kings Park, six long years ago.

"It's really not that bad," Benny tries again. "All the kids are really sweet. You're good with kids."

"If you say so," Tom replies, without enthusiasm.

Benny sighs, placing his empty mug down on the counter behind him. "Okay, mate, what is it? You've been grouchy and insufferable from the moment you got off the plane. What's going on? Is it Katie? I know you said that you didn't want to talk about it, but, if it's bothering you, you know I'll listen -"

"It's not that. Well, it is, but it isn't. It's just a whole bunch of stuff."

"Such as? What actually happened between you two?"

"Don't get so excited." For once, Tom cracks a smile. "Nothing scandalous."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"Then, you'll be disappointed." He drags a hand down the length of his face, before stuffing his hands into his pockets, discarding his mug next to his friend's. "Guess I'd better go find this room I'm supposed to be in, right?"

"Down the hall, on the right," Benny replies. "Mr Sanders will take you. Better than getting lost. This place is a maze."

"Yeah. I noticed." Tom shakes his head, throwing a casual smile and a "Laters, Benny," over his shoulder.

Benny sighs once he's out of earshot.

---

"...as developed by, anyone?"

Lexi turns away from the white board to survey the class of child geniuses sitting in front of her, pen still poised next to the theory of relativity.

"Albert Einstein," one of the girls, Julie, a blonde with bright green eyes, pipes up from the front row.

"Well remembered." Lexi scribbles the answer in, after smiling at the seven year old child in question. "Yes, Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity; he determined that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers -"

A knock on the open door of her classroom cuts across her explanation. She inclines her head towards the source of the introduction, without breaking her concentration from writing on the board.

"Yes?"

"I've been looking around for you, Professor Lesy." The voice of the dean of students echoes across the room. "I didn't realise that you had a class."

"Sorry to disappoint. What can I do for you?"

"Lexi."

The board pen slides out of her fingers, clattering to the floor and rolling underneath her desk.

No.

"Dammit," she curses under her breath, bending down on the floor to scrabble around for it.

"You two know each other?" The dean of students sounds amused.

"Uh...not really. We, kind of, grew up together, I guess."

"Uh," Is all Lexi can come out with.

"Huh. It is true what they say about Brits. Always seem to know each other somehow. Lexi, this is Mr Clarke."

"Right, right," she says absentmindedly. Where is that pen she was using? It was there a second ago.

"He'll be joining your class for the next semester."

"Great," she replies, but her voice is too high pitched, bordering on hysterical. "Stu - Where's that stupid pen -?"

"Here." The pen suddenly appears in front of her, pressed firmly into her palm. Her fingers close around it, as she glances up, looking into the familiar face in front of her, concern written there.

"Are you okay?" Tom asks; his hand moves to touch her shoulder, as if to comfort her, but it pauses in mid air when she recoils back.

No. I'm not okay.

"Fine." She clears her throat. "Yes. Thank you, thank you, um, Mr Clarke." She rises from the floor, turning her back to the group of children. "Okay...So, Einstein. Uh, science. Science is...good."

"Are you alright, Miss?"

"What?" She turns to look at Julie, sounding dazed. "Oh. Yes. I'm fine, thank you, Julie. Why do you ask?"

The blonde child looks unconvinced. "You've gone all white."

"It's nothing," Lexi assures her, but her voice doesn't sound in any way reassuring, and she keeps her eyes downcast as she inclines her gaze back towards the whiteboard.

---

It's half past two in the afternoon that the fallout happens.

Benny's on his way to his last seminar of the day, laptop under his arm, glasses sliding down his nose, ready for a well-deserved cup of coffee, when someone grabs him by the shoulder and drags him into the empty technician office, slamming the door behind them.

"What -?" He blinks, a little disorientated by the sudden change in scenery. "Lexi -?"

"What have you done?" The blonde demands, eyebrows furrowed into one of her deathly frowns, left over from her Nekross years.

"I don't know -"

"Don't you dare try that with me, Benjamin Sherwood. You know exactly what you did." Her fists tighten and clench. "Why is he here?"

Ah. Right.

This isn't exactly the reaction he had wanted, to say the least.

"Oh. You mean..."

"Tom. Yes. Who else was I going to mean?"

"What do you want me to say, Lexi?"

"I want you to tell me why the heck he's here!" Lexi looks like she's one sentence away from stamping her foot like a toddler. "Here, of all places! You could have hacked into anywhere else in the US - in the world - and gotten him a job; why did you choose here?"

"I don't know." Benny tries to appear nonchalant. "Convenience?"

"Convenience?" Lexi's voice crashes through two octaves. "Yes, well, nice to know that this is so convenient for you."

"What was I supposed to do, Lexi?" He throws his arms up in the air, as best he can carrying a laptop. "He needed a job, and he needed to be away from home for a while...What, was I just supposed to leave him there? Abandon him? He's my best friend!"

"I know!" Lexi takes a deep breath, shaking a little as she exhales. It's a few moments before she speaks again."I know," she repeats, calmer this time. "It was just...a shock, I suppose."

Benny bites his lip, guilt starting to settle in his stomach. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"No, it wasn't. It was awful," she replies, arms crossed across her middle, almost as if she's trying to hug herself for comfort. "He just kept staring at me the entire time. Like when we first met. Do you remember?"

"Of course I do. It's not exactly easy to forget the first time an alien tried to kill you." He notes the flicker of expression on her face, and winces. "Sorry. That was out of line. Please, continue."

"Anyway, eventually, the class was over, and he came up to talk to me. It was..." She pinches the brink of her nose, eyes screwed tightly shut. "It was so awkward. He kept asking me all these questions, and I couldn't answer them." She snorts without humour. "It was like facing everything I'd tried to run from. It all just came back, and I didn't know what to do. He was acting like he hasn't been radio silent for the past six years."

Okay. Colour Benny full of even more guilt.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright - well, no, it's not, but, you know what I mean."

"I still should've said something, really. Pre-warned you; I just - I couldn't find the right way to tell you, you know? What could I have say to make it better?"

"Nothing you said could've said would have made it better, Benny. Well -" She gives him a weak, watery half smile. There are tears starting to prick in the corners of her big blue eyes. "- apart from, "Just joking, Lexi. Don't look so worried"."

"Bit late for that now."

"Guess it is." She drags a hand across her eyes, sniffs once, and then straightens her posture, suddenly Princess of Nekron once more. "I'd better go. I have a class to plan for tomorrow morning."

"Good luck."

"Yeah." She raises an eyebrow. "Believe me, I'm going to need it."

---

The ride home is uncomfortable, to say the least.

Tom gets to disappear five minutes early, meaning that he and Benny are already waiting in the car by the time that Lexi has gathered up everything she needs. She climbs into the backseat and turns to look out of the window, blatantly ignoring the others in the vehicle with her, in favour of the busy American street outside. Benny clears his throat a couple of times, switching on the radio when no conversation is started, but the jaunty, cheerful violin piece seems too loud and echoy in the deadly silence between Tom and Lexi, and, after a few minutes, he switches the station to a mainstream one, letting the bubblegum pop track by some boyband that he's never heard of fill the car instead. Lexi jumps out of the car before Benny has even put it to park, striding off into the small brownstone before either of the two men can say anything.

"Is she always like this?" Tom queries, eyebrow raised.

"No," Benny replies truthfully. "Usually she's quite cheerful, you know, considering everything. Isn't exactly easy becoming an entirely different species and having to raise a child alone - well, not entirely alone. I try to help her where I can. She doesn't accept help very easily, but I complain and whine until she agrees." He rolls his eyes. "She's a good person, really. But I'm sure you already knew that."

"I guess." Tom looks a little doubtful as he climbs out of the car. "I'm not sure I really know her anymore."

"Hm," Benny hums meaningfully, to which Tom gives him an odd look. "I'm just saying. Maybe she feels the same way." He lowers his voice, glancing towards the brownstone, in case there's a chance that Lexi will charge outside again if she overhears him. "Look, I know it's not my business to tell you this, but Lexi's had a rough time of it over the years, no matter how little she chooses to talk about it. Maybe you should talk to her, try to explain stuff to her. I mean, think about it from her point of view. You didn't exactly -"

"Didn't exactly what?"

"Well, you know..." Benny shuffles, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "You didn't exactly get in touch, did you? From her point of view, maybe you left her when she needed someone the most. Again -" He holds his hands up, a surrendering gesture. "- just saying."

"Yeah, but - That's not -"

"I know that's not how it is. But it's likely that she doesn't." Benny makes an encouraging gesture with his hand. "You should try talking it out. Like, right now, before this gets out of hand."

"Oh, right. Because that worked so well this morning, didn't it?"

"Tom."

"Fine. I'll try. No promises, though." Tom rolls his eyes exaggeratedly, before leaving Benny and going inside. Of course Benny and Lexi would be neighbours. Of course he wouldn't be able to avoid her when they were both outside of work. Not that he wants to avoid her, of course, but it's clear that she doesn't want to be anywhere near him at this point, especially going by her reaction to seeing him again this morning.

The front door to the upstairs flat is open when Tom climbs the stairs, so at least he doesn't have to face the awkwardness of trying to knock on the door - or the possibility of having aforementioned door being slammed shut in his face. Lexi is standing over by the sink, half facing him, using a sponge to scrub away some lipstick stains from around the top of a glass.

"Lexi?"

Lexi tenses up, before exhaling sharply, not looking up from her work. "What?"

"Can we talk?"

She scoffs, but gives no reply. Tom stuffs one hand in his pocket, surveying the small kitchen, with its yellow walls and wooden floorboards. It's cluttered, no doubt about that, due to the spacing, but not necessarily untidy. If anything, the room looks quite cheerful, with its sunflower clock on the wall, and potted plant on the windowsill next to the sink. There's a pile of unopened post, left on the counter; he picks up the letters, flicking through them, studying them. All of them are addressed to Ms Alexandra Lesy, apart from the last one, which has been sent to Mr Benjamin Clarke. That ones comes as a little bit of a surprise; given Lexi's choice of name, he's been expecting his son to have taken that surname too.

"Professor Alexandra Lesy, huh?"

"Lesy and Lexi are both variations of the name Alexandra," Lexi replies stiffly, looking up and seeing the objects in his hand. "Would you please stop meddling with my affairs?"

"Okay, okay, chill out." He puts the letters back down, although it doesn't feel like she's referring to just a recent pile of post that she hasn't gotten around to sorting through yet. "Come on, Lexi, we can't ignore this. We need to talk."

"Talk?" There's a sudden fire in her icy blue eyes, nearly shattering the glass in her hand as she clenches her fist around it. "After all these years, you want to talk?"

"I - Well, yeah, but -"

The sound of the front door opening and closing cuts him off; both of them turn to face the direction of the noise, as footsteps sound in the hallway and someone steps into the kitchen, a twelve year old boy with a mop of dark hair, a earbud wedged into his ears.

"Hi, Mum," he greets above the noise of the music, a slight American edge to his British accent, not bothering to look up until he dumps his bag on the kitchen table and moves towards the fridge. "Oh. Hey, man." He glances questioningly at Lexi, who clears her throat.

"Um, Benny, this is Tom. From downstairs."

Benny Junior gives Tom a once over, before shrugging his shoulders. "Oh. Okay." He retrieves a bottle of fruit juice from the fridge, not bothering to fetch a glass, as he returns to the table and unzips his rucksack. "I'm Benny."

"Benny." Is all Tom seems capable of saying, but the boy doesn't notice his stunned expression; instead, he hauls his rucksack back onto his back and retreats towards his bedroom, pausing in his step only to call a "See you around, Tom," over his shoulder.

Tom turns to glare at Lexi as soon as his son is gone. "He doesn't remember me?"

Lexi glares back, matching his expression exactly. "Well, what were you expecting? You didn't exactly leave us with a photograph, or anything, for that matter, did you?"

She has a point, but Tom doesn't really want to acknowledge that fact right now; instead, he folds his arms and deepens his scowl. "Did you even mention me to him at all? Does he even know that I exist?"

"Not you specifically."

"So you basically forgot about me, then, is what you're saying."

"I could say the same about you," Lexi replies cuttingly. "After all, that's exactly what you did to us."

She turns her back on him and starts rummaging around in the sink, slamming plates down on the draining board, effectively ending the conversation.

Tom sees himself out.

---

"Which one?"

Tom glances up from the patch of carpet that he's been staring at for the past ten minutes. "Huh?"

Benny rolls his eyes at his best friend's confusion, nodding to the stack of pizza leaflets that he's just dropped into Tom's lap. "Pizza place. Which one do you want?"

"We're ordering pizza?" Tom repeats blankly.

"Yeah." Benny looks confused himself for a moment. "Unless, of course, you want to do something else. I was going to take you out - since this week has shown me that you clearly need to get out more often - but -"

"Ugh." Tom pulls a face. "Not really in the mood for going out."

"That's what I thought." The other man rolls his eyes. "So, come on, pick what you want. This week's on me. Just this once, though." He pulls his wallet from his pocket and starts sorting through the change. "Nothing with pineapple, though. Lexi can't stand pineapple."

Tom almost chokes on his sip of tea. "Lexi's coming too?"

"Well, yeah, 'course." Benny answers with a shrug. "She always does. It's tradition for us to have pizza on Fridays. Why? Have you got an issue with that?"

Tom, now recovered, gives a half shrug of his own. "I don't think she really likes me being here."

"Believe me, I know that she doesn't," Benny replies, rolling his eyes. "But she's also an adult. She'll deal with it in silence, like she always does." He grins at the sound of someone knocking on the door. "That'll be her now." He moves across to the front door, and opens it. "Hey, Lexi. Just in time. We were about to order the pizza."

"Actually -" Lexi leans against the door frame, pushing a loose strand of blonde hair away. "- I won't be able to make it. I've, uh, I've got a date tonight."

There's the distinct sound of spluttering behind him; Benny glances over his shoulder to see Tom scrubbing his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Alright there?" He asks, trying to fight off an amused smile.

Tom ignores him, addressing Lexi instead. "A date? You're, um, you're, you're going on a, uh, on a date?"

"Yes. A date." Lexi raises an eyebrow at him. "You know, that protocol where humans who have an interest in each other go out and enjoy themselves?"

"Like...like a real date?" Tom takes another gulp of his tea, clearing his throat. "Oh. Wow. Um, that's, uh, that's...that's something, huh?"

"Yes. Something." Lexi rolls her eyes, before turning back to Benny. "I won't be home until later. Would you be able to go and check on Benny Junior in a little while? Make sure he gets himself off to bed at a reasonable time?"

"Sure." Benny gives a shrug. "You know that I would anyway."

"Great." Lexi pulls him into a quick, one-armed hug. "I'd better get going; I don't want to be late, after all. See you, Benny." She peers around the door frame for a moment.

"Tom," Is all she says, a mere acknowledgement that he's actually there, before she turns and walks towards the front door of the brownstone, shutting it behind her.

Benny closes his front door too, looking back towards his best friend, who's perched on the sofa and frowning at the patch of ceiling somewhere near him.

"Wow," he says, breaking the silence. "How about that, eh? So, about that pizza place -"

"Actually," Tom interrupts. "You were right. About me needing to get out more. We should go out for drinks. Right now." He jumps off the sofa, just to prove his point, nearly spilling tea everywhere. "Forget the night in, we should take the night outside with us."

"Uh hu." Benny raises an eyebrow. "Are you jealous, by any chance?"

"Wh - Me? Jealous? Why exactly would I be jealous?"

"Well, you know, Lexi's going out, meeting people, and you're sitting at home on a Friday night, drinking tea and watching game shows." Benny smirks. "Oh, and the fact that she's not going on a date with you -"

Tom cuts him off with a snort. "Ha ha. That's really funny, Benny."

"Is it true?"

"No! 'Course not! Look, if Lexi wants to go out on...dates, or whatever, I'm not bothered - Heck, I'm happy."

"Uh hu," Benny replies, with mock sincerity. "Sure you are."

"I am!"

"No, no, I believe you -"

"I'm fine. Come on, Benny, where's your adventurous side? The night is young, and so are we. Let's go out for a bit."

Benny shakes his head at his best friend, as Tom discards his cup and goes on the hunt for his shoes, clearly already decided, whatever the other man says.

"Alright. Fine. We can do that."

---

"Isn't this fun?"

"Is it?" Benny asks dryly. They've been sitting at the bar for roughly half an hour in relative silence, Tom spinning the bottle top from his drink on the counter for the past twenty minutes. "What are we doing here, Tom?"

"Having fun," Tom replies. "Drinking. Socialising." He takes a drink from the glass in front of him in order to prove his point. "Getting out more, like you said."

"But we're only doing one of those things." Benny nods towards his own glass. "We're drinking, in silence."

"Well, then, talk to me!" Tom gives him a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Tell me what's been going on with your life these past six years!"

"There's nothing that I haven't already told you over Skype. What about you?" Benny leans against the bar, cleaning his glasses on his jacket before putting them back on his face. "All this time you've been wanting to talk about me, yet you barely talk about what you've been up to."

"Alright. What do you want me to talk about?"

"What actually happened with you and Katie?"

That strikes a bad chord with his friend; Tom's face sours almost instantly. "We broke up."

"And?"

"And, what?"

"And! You've been miserable ever since you got here. You guys can't have just unanimously decided to separate. Come on, I can't cheer you up if you don't tell me what's going on."

"Fine." Tom takes another drink. "Fine. Things had been rocky for a little while, and she had never looked keen on the idea of me leaving to move over here, anyway. Then, right before I left, she announced that she didn't want a long-distance relationship. Said it wouldn't work, and that the lack of face-to-face contact would kill her. That put an end to it pretty quickly, to say the least."

"Oh." Benny toys with his own glass. "Sorry."

"Yeah. So was I."

The big adventure out doesn't last much longer. Benny waits until Tom finishes his drink, before casually suggesting that they call that pizza place from the brownstone, and his friend doesn't complain. Talking about his life back in Britain has made him silent; it's only when they're indoors again, Tom sitting in exactly the same spot that he had been before, that he actually speaks again.

"Why are there so many pizza places?"

"It's Massachusetts," Benny replies, kicking his boots off and leaving them by the door. "Why don't you call one of them? I've got to go upstairs and check on my so-called nephew."

"Let me do it."

"Really?" Benny sends him a reluctant look. "Are you sure? I don't think that's such a great idea."

"Is that your way of telling me that Lexi told you to keep me out of his way?"

"No!" A pause. "Okay, fine, maybe, but -"

"But nothing. He's my son. Don't worry, I promise I won't say anything about being related. I just want to see how he is."

"Hm..." Benny narrows his eyes for a long moment. "Okay. Fine. You get five minutes, and then I'm coming up after you, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

---

Benny Junior comes to the door after the second round of knocking, dressed in a faded t-shirt and plaid pyjama shorts, dark hair damp from the shower.

"Oh." He looks surprised. "Hey. You're the guy from downstairs, right?"

"Uh hu," Tom replies, after a brief round of blinking. "Yeah. Guy from downstairs. That's me."

"What, did Mum send you up here to spy on me, or something?" Benny rolls his eyes. "I keep telling her that I can cope by myself for two hours, but she won't listen. So, you want a drink, or anything? Might as well come inside and survey the place, make sure I haven't damaged anything." He steps back and holds the door open, so that Tom can come inside, padding through to the kitchen, eyes looking at the screen of his phone. "What do you want? There's some coffee in the machine, and milk in the fridge." He picks up his own mug from the counter, blows on the steam, and then takes a drink.

"Thanks." Tom pours himself a cup, wrapping his fingers around it, and leaning against the counter. "So, how old are you?"

"Thirteen, next February," Benny replies. "Not that it really matters."

"What do you mean? Thirteen is one of the big birthdays."

"Yeah, but age is just a number. Mum will still be fussing over me like I'm a baby when I turn twenty." He rolls his eyes. "Can't blame her, though. She's always worried about everything, even when Uncle Sherwood helped her get that job at MIT. I think she still can't quite believe that we don't live in the poky flat above the pub anymore, or sleep in the back alley way behind Target."

"Must be hard for her," Tom says, after a moment of silence. "What about your dad? Is he around, or...?"

"Please," Benny snorts. "He's about as far from around as one man could possibly get. I don't even remember him properly; he left us when I was a kid, and Mum hardly ever talks about him."

"She doesn't?"

"Well, she did, at first. Usually when I asked her about him, 'cause I was only a kid at this point." Benny pulls a face. "But she would never answer my questions directly, and then I saw that talking about him made her upset, and, in the end, I just stopped asking." He raises an eyebrow. "You've been friends with Uncle Sherwood a while, right?"

"Yeah. Since we were sixteen. Why?"

"Mum told me that Uncle Sherwood went to school with Dad." He peeks at him. "Did you know him?"

Tom shifts, uncomfortable. "I guess you could say that."

"What was he like?"

"I don't really know," he lies. "Just ordinary, I guess. To be honest -" He shrugs. "-it feels like I haven't seen him for while. I don't think I'd even recognise him now." The last part is mumbled, but it's loud enough for his son to hear him.

Benny shakes his head. "That makes two of us, then. I mean, I can't help being curious at times, but, honestly, I really couldn't care less anymore. He left Mum with nothing, to raise a child all alone. If he couldn't be bothered to stick around, or even keep in contact, why should I bother trying to find him? You know what I mean?"

"Hm," Tom agrees, focusing on the tiles that make up the kitchen floor. "Maybe it wasn't that he couldn't be bothered. Maybe he was just...not ready. Scared of messing up. Maybe he wanted to protect you from that."

"That's still no excuse. If he couldn't cope with being a dad, why am I here, exactly?" Benny lets out a sad, heavy sigh. "Just the thought of him makes me mad, on some days. Thinking about how he treated Mum like that, never mind me. Don't think I could ever forgive him for what he did to her."

"Tom?"

Benny's sigh turns from one of sadness to one of annoyance. "Oh, God, now everyone and their mother's here. What am I, seven again? I told you, Uncle Sherwood, I'm fine!"

"Uh hu." Benny Sherwood appears in the kitchen door, arms folded, glasses sliding down his nose. "That's great, but I'm not here for you." He fixes Tom with a look. "I told you, five minutes and then I was coming to get you."

Tom rolls his eyes. "Chill out, Benny, we weren't doing anything. Just talking. That's not a crime, is it?"

"It will be, if Lexi catches you."

Benny Junior inclines his head towards Tom. "Yeah, about that, how have you managed to get into my mother's bad books already? You've been here, like, a week."

"It's complicated," Benny says quickly.

"It's a long story," Tom replies simultaneously.

Benny Junior doesn't look convinced. "That only makes me want to know more. Come on, what have you done? Did you move one of the spoons in the cutlery drawer or something?" The sound of the door cuts him off, making him incline his head towards the doorway. "Well, looks like we're going to find out."

"Oh, great," Benny mutters, just as two figures materialise into the room, caught up in a collective laughter. The smile on Lexi's face, however, dies the moment that she registers the identities of the two extra people in her kitchen.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Wasn't aware all you Brits were actually neighbours," The man beside her says, his carefree American accent still sounding amused.

Benny glances at Tom, not surprised to realise that he's not looking impressed, looking this new addition up and down with a disapproving expression. Come to think of it, Benny has seen this man before, somewhere around the area.

"I guess that's what I call them," Lexi says in reply to the question, causing the man to laugh, although nothing about her tone is humorous. "Everybody, this is David. David, you know Tom and Benjamin from work, and this is my son, Benny Junior."

The man - David - beams at them, specifically Benny Junior. "Hiya."

"Hm." Is all the boy says in reply, placing his headphones into his ears and retreating towards his room, taking his coffee with him, clearly not interested in meeting the man that his mother appears to be going out with.

Lexi turns her attention onto Tom. "Did you want something?"

"No," Benny jumps in, before Tom can answer (the safe idea, judging by the scowl that his best friend is giving David). "We were just, y'know, going. Right, Tom?"

"Yeah," Tom says bluntly, addressing Lexi and completely ignoring David. "We were just going."

"I'll see you out, then," Lexi replies, sounding just as snappy.

"Yeah. You do that."

"I am."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Benny clears his throat. "You don't have to do that, Lexi," he says. "We'll show ourselves out."

Tom doesn't break his gaze from the blonde woman. "Will we?"

"Yes." He firmly places a hand on Tom's shoulder. "We will."

---

December, 2019

"You think he make a habit of trying to score dates with the staff?"

Benny lets out a quiet groan. "Tom. Seriously."

"What?"

"You've been obsessing over this for three weeks now. Remind me again how you're not jealous?"

"Because I'm not. Why would I be?" Tom sneaks another glance across the room, to where David and Lexi are standing, wrapped up in conversation. "I mean, look at him. He's not even that good looking."

"Lexi seems to think that he is."

Tom makes a noise of disapproval. "Yeah, well, Lexi always had poor taste." He scowls bitterly. "I mean...look. Look at his stupid hair."

"If I remember correctly," Benny says, with a raised eyebrow. "You wore your hair like that in high school."

Tom's hand goes to his own hair. "I don't think I did."

"No, I remember. You definitely did. You still do, half the time."

"Well, if I did, I wore it better than him."

"Yeah, and you're definitely not jealous." Benny rolls his eyes, before dispensing his coffee mug into the sink. "I'd better go. I've got a lecture in five minutes. Catch you later, yeah?"

"Yeah," Tom replies, but his voice is absentminded. He's far too busy watching as David and Lexi part ways for the morning, Lexi placing a gentle hand on his arm, before crossing the room to the fridge, near where Tom is standing, grabbing a bottle of water from inside.

Benny did say that he should make an effort to explain things to her, didn't he?

"Hey, Lexi."

Lexi barely looks round at the sound of his voice. "Tom."

"How are you?"

Her response is monosyllabic. "Fine."

"Good." Tom finishes his coffee, leaving the cup beside Benny's, shuffling closer to Lexi, who has unscrewed her bottle of water and taken a drink. "Listen, um, do you think we could talk?"

"What else have we got to talk about, Tom? I think we both made ourselves abundantly clear the last time that we attempted to have one of these talks."

"Ah. Right. Still not forgotten about that, huh?"

"No, I haven't. Because, unlike you, Tom, I don't forget things quite so easily."

There's some different opinions on that, Tom thinks, but decides not to voice this opinion out loud. They'll be plenty of time for that later - if he can get Lexi to listen, that is.

"Guess I deserved that."

"You think so?" Her voice is laced with sarcasm, as she finally turns to look at him, her blue eyes stormy. "Well, I have a class to teach in five minutes, so, whatever you have to say to me, you say here and now." She folds her arms over her chest, and looks to him expectantly. "Well?"

"Okay, look, I get why you're upset. Really. I do. But I was a kid, y'know? I couldn't support myself, let alone two other people."

"Really?" Lexi replies, unconvinced. "Funnily enough, I seem to remember being little more than a child too, and yet I managed to raise my son on nothing, because I know that, when I have responsibilities, I don't just run away from them. But, do go on, Tom, don't stop now. What exactly did you feel was so necessary that you had to leave your only son out on the street? I'm expecting quite the answer."

"It wasn't like that! I didn't think -"

"Exactly. You didn't think. You didn't have to. You just had to go back to your normal life the next morning, and it was all gone again, like a bad dream. Well, I'm sorry that your bad dream has come back to haunt you and your fresh start, Tom. What a disappointment we must be."

Lexi abandons her water bottle on the counter and marches past him, shoulders straight, head held high, but there's a tremble in her final words that Tom doesn't miss, and, not for the first time since his arrival, he wishes he'd never agreed to come here.

---

"She won't listen to me!"

Benny shakes his head, as Tom comes marching into their apartment, hands thrown up in the air with frustration. "Have we finally admitted that we're jealous?"

"I am not jealous!"

"That would be a no, then. Okay. Carry on."

Tom sighs. "Benny, this isn't a joke! How am I supposed to fix this?"

"Tom, mate, you're way past fixing this."

"Oh, great. Thanks for the encouragement."

"Sorry. But you did ask."

Tom slumps against the kitchen counter, watching Benny preparing their microwavable meals, the ones they have every day that isn't Friday. "I just wish she'd sit down and speak. She seems really mad about something, but she won't actually say what that something is. She doesn't even look at me in the face when we're talking, unless it's to fling some kind of insult at me. It's just like the old days." He nudges his best friend in the shoulder, as Benny drifts back and forth between the table and the sideboard. "Will you talk to her for me?"

"Whoa!" Benny recoils like he's been burnt. "No way, Tom, I'm not going to be your little messenger, and get caught up in all this!"

"You're already caught up in all this! C'mon, Benny, I've never asked you for anything before!" A pause. "Okay, maybe I have, but I never will again, if you do this for me! Please!"

Benny still looks reluctant, but, apparently, Tom's begging has started to wear him down.

"Fine," he says, after a moment. "But you owe me."

He disappears out of the room, towards the flat upstairs; there's the quiet murmur of voices echoing from the landing above, before the sound of frustrated screeching, followed by footsteps. Tom pokes his head out of the door, just Lexi marches down the stairs, grabbing him by the wrist.

"Fine!" Is all she says, proceeding to drag him from the brownstone, slamming the front door behind them.

"What the - Hey!" He pulls his wrist free of her grip, pausing in the middle of the street. "Where are we going?"

Lexi turns back to face him, still with a stony face. "To talk."

---

"Lexi!"

The blonde smiles to the young man at the counter. "Afternoon, Shay."

"The usual?" His eyes flicker to Tom, and then back again, curious.

"Yes. Two of the usual."

"Sure thing." He turns back to the coffee machine, as Lexi taps her fingernails on the plastic covering across the counter. Tom takes the opportunity to look around the coffee shop; it's a small place, hidden on the corner of an alleyway. He probably would have walked right past it, if Lexi hadn't dragged him through the door a few moments earlier. The outside doesn't exactly make it look like a coffee place, which is actually quite lucky in this case; the only other people in the shop currently are an old man reading the local newspaper, and a couple of high school kids, sitting on stools by the window, both with sketchbooks open on the table, talking quietly amongst themselves about the latest assignment that they've been given in class.

Lexi suddenly passes Tom his coffee, sliding a handful of bills across the counter, throwing "Keep the change, Shay," over her shoulders, as she chooses the table furthest at the back, out of the way of everybody else, gesturing for Tom to sit opposite her.

"This is my favourite place," she explains, after a brief moment of silence, oddly calm, considering her face outside of the brownstone. "I used to work here, when I wasn't needed at the pub. So, go on, then." She stirs her coffee. "You wanted to talk. We're talking now."

"Yeah." Tom mimics her actions. "I wanted to apologise, really."

"And you couldn't have done it at home?"

"Well, you weren't exactly willing to listen..."

Lexi sighs heavily, a response that he isn't expecting. "I know, I know. I just - It's hard."

"How?"

"When I see you, it all comes back. Varg, my father, Kooth - but not just them. Everything afterwards comes back too. The things I really don't want to think about."

"Like what?" Tom notices her hesitation. "Tell me. Please."

Lexi taps her fingernails on the table, before nodding once.

"When I first woke up human, I was so hopeful. Not just because of being alive, although that was a miracle in itself, and not just because I had my son back, but because I felt free. My father and my brother, and all the ways of the Nekross, have no control over me here. It felt like I could do anything. Be anyone I wanted. Suddenly, I had a chance to start over. Maybe right some of my wrongs. Give my son the nurturing childhood that I didn't have. It was like a dream; everything was bright, everything was colourful. Possibilities were everywhere. Of course, I was quickly brought back to reality."

"What happened?"

"You can't get anywhere in the world without money or qualifications, neither of which I had, and I soon realised this. We didn't have any shelter, any clean clothes, any food or water. We wandered the streets like ghosts, me and Benny, stealing food from bins, sleeping in doorways and under pieces of cardboard that I found lying about. It was so cold, some nights, that I went without coverings altogether, in order to make sure that Benny was warm. Those nights were the worst. The cold, that kind of cold, it does things to you, Tom. It makes you think in a way that you wouldn't normally. So many times I found myself with blue fingers and numb feet, my body so cold that I could freeze at any moment. So many times I nearly lost myself, wobbling on the edge and almost going over..."

She trails off, caught up in the memory, before snapping to attention again, sipping her warm coffee, almost as if she's trying to remind herself that those memories are in the past now.

"But I didn't. Because I had Benny. I was his mother, and I had to keep going, for him, if not for myself. So I knew that I couldn't give him up. I had considered it, many times, for his own sake, putting him somewhere safe, with people who knew what they were doing, but I knew that, if I did, there would be nothing holding me back from that edge. I would topple over into the dark places, and no one would even notice. So I was selfish, and I kept him with me. We were out in the cold for four months, until I found the place at the pub. All they asked for was labour in return for lodgings. I fell asleep in a bed for the first time, a warm bed, with a proper meal in my stomach, knowing that my son was safe. So what if I had to watch people poison their sorrows away? So what if they poked fun at my hair, or the way I dressed? It was a job, and a home that was relatively safe, and it was ours. That was all I wanted."

Tom, who's been sitting in silence for the duration of her story, takes a long gulp of coffee. "What happened after that?"

"I got Benny in school. That was the next thing. I built us a small life; as long as we kept out of the way, the people who owned the pub didn't bother us. They provided food, and, as long as I worked their hours, they didn't care what else we did. So, I started working here." She inclines her head to the rest of the coffee shop. "Only part time, a few hours a week. But it was something. I had money, for the first time. I could buy things, things that we needed, things that could make our one communal room a little nicer. Working here made me run into Benny Sherwood. He was still a student at MIT back then, but he kept coming back here, checking on me. Mind you -" She gives Tom a half smile. "- he did trip over the leg of the table over there, when he first realised that it was me."

"Sounds like Benny."

"I half expected him to run away when he recognised me. That tended to be how our previous interactions would end. But he didn't. He sat for hours, missing all his lectures that day, and just talked to me as I served coffee. He even came back to the pub with me for a drink. It was so...I don't know, fulfilling. Like there had been a weight on my shoulders, and it was suddenly gone."

"Did you getting into MIT have something to do with Benny, by any chance?"

"Who else?" She replies; they share another smile at the thought of their mutual friend, before Lexi clears her throat and continues. "He hacked into the system and got me down as a classroom assistant, at first. Apparently, I had a knack for it, because the institute offered me a position as a professor, providing I went on certain health and safety courses, something that I'm sure Benny was responsible for too, however much he denies it. Benny Junior and I moved out of the pub soon after that, into the apartment above Benny, where he could make sure that I was alright, no matter how many times I told him to stop worrying. I think he feels somewhat responsible and keeps trying to make it up to me. He's been really kind to me. I don't know what I would have done without a friend like him. So, there." She stirs her drink once more. "That's everything. Now you know."

"Lexi - I don't know what to say -"

"So, don't say anything," Lexi replies. "Please. I don't like thinking about it, much less having to talk about it. Just forget this conversation ever happened."

"And how do I do that, after what you just told me? You had to save yourself from the streets."

"Yes, Tom. I did. You forget about it in the same way that I forget that I lived it. Look forward, because you can't go on if you keep looking behind you. That's something I learnt very early on."

"That's a bit deep, coming from you."

"Making meaningful sayings out of tragedies is what humans do, don't they?"

Tom gives her a half smile. "True. So, if we're both going to be looking forward, does that mean that we're sort of friends now?"

Lexi raises an eyebrow, but the corners of her mouth have turned upwards. "We'll see."

---

It seems like only a week later that Christmas is upon them.

Everyone crowds into Lexi's flat for Christmas - except for David, Tom is pleased to hear. According to Lexi, he's gone to Chicago to spend the holidays with his own relatives. Benny rolls his eyes and mouths "Jealous!" when he thinks Tom isn't looking, but nothing can dull the Christmas spirit. Not even being stuck with the washing up can dampen the mood, especially when Lexi puts on a CD of Christmas songs, and the two of them sing along, not caring whether or not they're in tune.

"Have you spoken to your family yet?" Lexi asks, at one of their singing intervals, letting the sound of Silent Night wash over them.

"This morning," Tom replies, smiling at the memory of Michael and Ursula clustered around the web cam. "Spoke to Quinn too. He seems happy enough working for the newspaper."

"That's good."

"Hey - I was thinking -" Tom places a plate down on the draining board for Lexi to wipe dry. "I could take Benny Junior out one day, give you some peace and quiet."

Lexi looks mildly amused. "What's brought this on?"

"Well, y'know, I'd like to spend time with him. Do the proper father-son stuff -"

"Shh! Would you keep your voice down?"

"Why? It's not like it's some big secret." Tom rolls his eyes, before suddenly sobering up at the expression on the blonde's face. "You have...y'know, told him, haven't you?"

"Told him what?"

"You know what. About me."

"Tom. Please. Not now."

"You haven't!" His expression turns accusing. "Why not? What happened to looking forward, and all that? Or, have you already forgotten about that?"

"No! I just - It's not the right time -"

"Are you ever going to tell him who I am?"

"I don't know. Probably."

"Prob - Lexi!"

"You haven't been around him for the last six years, Tom. I'm only doing what's best, for all of us."

"So, what? You're just not going to even mention the fact that I'm his dad?

"He's what?"

Both of them turn at the sudden voice. Benny Junior is standing in the kitchen doorway, staring at Tom as if the man has just grown an extra head.

Lexi's jaw has gone slack; it takes her a few moments to work up the ability to speak.

"Benny - Look -" She starts to move towards him, but Benny recoils, stumbling back, out of the room. "Benny -!"

"No." Tom holds up a hand to stop her. "Let me talk to him. Please."

Lexi glances between him and the doorway in silence for several moments, before nodding. "Okay."

---

"Benny?"

No answer. Tom knocks again, before pushing the door open. The room is almost completely dark, lit only by a string of Christmas lights that decorate the small Christmas tree sitting on the desk, surrounded by books. Benny is perched on the bed, his back to the door, softly strumming at an acoustic guitar, slowly churning out the chords to Smoke On The Water. It sounds less like a rock song now, however, Tom thinks; it feels more like a mournful heartbreak ballad.

"Benny -"

"Did you know?" The boy makes no effort to move, or to put the guitar down, but his voice is sharp enough to make Tom recoil a little. "When we first met, did you know who I was?"

There seems no point in lying. "Yes. Yes, I did."

"And you didn't think that this was information that I perhaps wanted to know?"

"I'm sorry," Tom says lamely, for there really is nothing else to say, before moving to the bed and sitting down on it too. "I know what you think of me, and you have every right to feel that way, especially after everything. But, you have to understand. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"The right thing?" The sad tune cuts off with a loud, screeching chord. "What, you thought that leaving your only child and their mother out on the streets was the right thing to do?"

"No, of course not! That's not what I mean. Benny, how much has your mother told you about how we met?"

"What does that matter? That was years ago."

"Just tell me. How much do you know?"

Benny seems reluctant for a moment, before he grudgingly concedes. "Not a lot. Hardly anything. Why?"

"Well...it's kind of a long story."

---

"Okay, okay -" Benny holds a hand up, cutting his father off. "So, let me see if I've got this right. You fought off aliens?"

"You say that like it's a surprise."

The boy pulls a face. "Well, sorry, but I can't exactly imagine you and Uncle Sherwood on some crusade to fight aliens."

"Believe me, there was a time when I couldn't imagine it either."

"What - Actually, never mind. I'm still trying to get my head around the aliens, let alone anything else. Huh. Aliens." He shakes his head. "If I didn't have magic and all that, I'd dismiss you as a crazy sociopath. I just thought Mum's dad was the leader of some corrupt business empire, not an actual empire."

"Technically, it was the whole planet -" Tom clears his throat, when Benny glares at him for being picky. "But, close enough, I guess."

"And that's why you ignored us for six years, is it?"

"Not ignored. Just, kept my distance. I know, I know. That's not an excuse, but, like I said, I thought it was best. I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"But things did happen to us. Hasn't Mum told you all of this?"

"Yes, she has."

"So, didn't it ever occur to you that, maybe, she would've wanted to stay by you? Help you?"

"And, if she had gotten hurt? If you had? What would I have done then? That would have killed me."

"I suppose. You know, if anyone else said this stuff to me, I'd call them a liar almost instantly," Benny says slowly. "This whole thing makes no sense whatsoever. But..."

"But?"

"But, I don't know. For some reason, I believe you." He raises an eyebrow. "It's a bit weird, though. You being twenty one, and me being nearly thirteen. You're going to have some awkward questions to answer."

"I'm sure that we can come up with something."

"You're gonna have to." He snorts, before running a hand down the length of his face. "I should talk to Mum. Apologise for freaking out on her."

"She'll understand."

"Hope so. Last thing I want is to upset her. She's been upset too much for too long." Benny pauses, before sending Tom an apologetic glance. "Sorry. Don't mean to rub it in, but it's true."

"Don't worry. I get it. No one wants to upset someone they love. But your mother's a tough cookie, and so are you. It'll take more than this to shake the pair of you."

"Guess so." Benny heaves himself off the bed, making his way towards the door, and Tom follows suit.

Lexi is seated at the kitchen table when they walk in, tapping her fingers on the surface in a hectic, erratic rhythm.

"Mum?"

"Benny -" Lexi tugs a hand through her fringe, shoulders heaving with relief when she sees him. "I'm so sorry -"

"I know. Me too." Benny moves closer, pulling her into a hug. " T - Dad told me everything. I get it now."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Positive." Benny grips her tighter. "Love you, Mum."

"I love you too," Lexi replies, meeting Tom's gaze over his shoulder.

Thank you, she mouths in his direction.

---

"You're leaving me?"

Benny rolls his eyes. "I'm sure you'll cope, Tom."

"But, you're going on a date, and leaving me here? On my own? On New Years Eve?"

"Again, I'll sure you'll cope." Benny pushes his glasses further up his nose, winding a scarf around his neck. "You're twenty one. I'm sure you can microwave yourself a meal."

Tom pulls a face. "Some best friend you are."

Benny chuckles. "Hey. If anything, I'm doing you a favour by going out with Steve tonight. Lexi's still here, after all." He nods towards the ceiling above him, before winking suggestively.

Tom pulls another face, grabbing a cushion from the sofa and aiming at his friend's head. "Get out of here, nerd."

"You just don't want to admit I'm right," Benny replies, chuckling, as he attempts to duck out of the pillow's path

"No, I just don't want you to keep your date waiting. Bad manners."

"Your denial is bad manners."

"Are you still here?"

Benny rolls his eyes. "Someone's keen. Alright, I'll get out of your hair. Give Lexi my regards, won't you?"

Tom pulls a face after his retreating back.

It's no use, though. Benny's words nag at his thoughts all through the evening, as he makes his microwave meal and watches whatever station Benny has left the TV on. It's not nice to spend New Years Eve alone, after all, as he knows from current experiences.

Maybe he should drop by the flat upstairs, just to make sure Lexi isn't lonely. No one likes being alone, no matter how much Lexi gripes about him trying to smother her with concern.

Which is how he finds himself switching the television set off, leaving the flat, and letting himself into Lexi's place.

"Drinking alone on New Years Eve, huh?" Tom shakes his head when he finds her, sitting in the kitchen by herself.

Lexi rolls her eyes. "Maybe. There's no shame in that. I've done it for the past six New Years Eves. Come, help yourself."

"Thanks." Tom pours himself a glass of whatever she's opened and drinks from it, managing to keep a straight face at the bitterness in his mouth. "Where's Benny Junior?"

"Staying the night at a friend's house." Lexi takes another swig from her own glass, emptying it and then refilling it.

Tom can't keep the scowl from his face as he asks his next question. "What about David? Where's he?"

"Not sure. At his daughter's, I think. Why do you ask?"

"Thought he'd be here, celebrating New Years Eve with you. Isn't that what couples are supposed to do?"

Lexi looks confused for a moment, before taking another drink. "Oh, right, we're, uh, we're not a couple anymore."

"You're not?"

"No." She shrugs. "It didn't work out. Oh, well."

"Oh, well? You don't exactly sound bothered about it."

"What am I supposed to be bothered about? We tried something, it didn't work out." She glances sideways at him. "Tom, this isn't exactly the first time I've known what rejection feels like. Sometimes, things, people, just aren't meant to be. When I was a hatchling, I wanted to spend the rest of my days in the Nekron palace library. That was not meant to be. Then, as I got older, I wanted to be the next ruler, take after my father. That was not meant to be, either. I thought I was going to have to marry a Nekross suitor that my father picked out for me. Instead, I'm human now, with a halfling son, living out my mundane existence on Earth. Life is not always what you would expect it to be."

"Guess so," Tom agrees, eyes flickering to the clock on the wall. It's not much longer to go until midnight. Less than a minute, actually. "Any resolutions?"

"Make it to next year," she replies bitterly, making him snort. "No, I'd like to do something more creative with my time. Maybe try and meet some new people, improve my social skills a little bit. What about you?"

"The same. Make it to next year in one piece. No more aliens for me."

"How's that going for you?"

"Hm, I'm getting better. Might need some more work." The sound of cheers rise up from outside of the window, just as the clock on the wall softly chimes midnight.

"Another year gone," Lexi says, her voice a heavy sigh. "Well, onto better things, I suppose, right, Tom?"

"Right," Tom agrees, meeting her gaze.

Maybe it's the alcohol, maybe it's the sound of fireworks exploding outside of the window, maybe it's something else entirely - whatever it is, suddenly he can't drag his gaze away from her, the gaze that she returns, blue eyes bright, even in the dull light of the kitchen.

People are supposed to kiss on New Years Day, right?

He clears his throat, breaking the moment, before holding his glass up. "Cheers?"

Lexi knocks her drink against his. "Cheers."

---

January, 2020

It's not long after New Year before the snow hits.

"Ugh." Lexi glowers, as she stares out of her kitchen window, addressing Tom and Benny Junior, who are seated at the table behind her. "I can't stand winter."

"You say that every year, Mum," Benny Junior replies, rolling his eyes. "You're more worried about those plants than anything else."

"Plants?" Tom raises an eyebrow. "I haven't see any plants."

"It's nothing -" Lexi starts to say, but Benny cuts her off.

"Mum has this allotment place on the outskirts of town. She's always disappearing down there when Uncle Sherwood will give her a lift, when Steve's not over, which is pretty much all the time now." The mention of Benny's boyfriend earns an eye roll from the younger boy. "Not that it makes much difference. A lot of the time, she makes off with the car and drives down there herself."

"Oh?"

"Like I said, it's nothing. Just something to pass the time."

"A thing to pass the time that has you more stressed than you are already," Benny points out.

"Aw." Lexi turns to face her son, a teasing grin on her face. "Are you worried about me, baby boy?"

"Mum!" Benny pulls a face.

"Never mind that," Tom cuts in, sounding a little like an eager child. "I want to see these plants that apparently exist. Can we go and see them?"

"It's really not that exciting," Lexi replies.

"I'll be the judge of that." He fixes her with what he hopes is a pleading look. "Please, Lexi."

"See?" Benny Junior smirks. "Come on, Mum, you can't argue with that."

"You're supposed to be on my side, Benny. You're my son."

"Dad is my parent too. I can't be biased against him."

"So you're turning on me? After seven years?"

"You make it sound so dramatic." Benny closes his textbook with a snap.

"Yes, Lexi. Our son is very wise. You should listen to him." Tom claps the younger boy on the shoulder at this.

"Well - I don't like to brag, but -"

"Alright, fine!" Lexi throws her hands up in the air, in mock surrender. "You want to see plants? Fine. We'll go see the plants."

Benny grins. "Knew you'd give in."

"Don't start getting smug about it. You'll be cooking lunch for yourself."

"How can I cook when you won't let me touch the cooker when you're not here?"

"Guess you're going to have to improvise, aren't you?" Lexi rolls her eyes, before tapping Tom on the shoulder. "Come on, then, if you're insistent on going."

---

"Are we nearly there yet?"

"For the last time, yes." Lexi rolls her eyes, sending the car swerving around a bend in the road. "You've been asking this for nearly ten minutes now."

"We've been going down this hill for ages, though." Tom burrows further inside his coat. "And, in case you haven't noticed, it's snowing, and I'm cold."

"Couldn't not notice it, with the amount of complaining that you've been doing. See, look, we're here now." She slams down on the breaks, cutting off the radio, glancing to the man on her right.

Tom's looking distastefully out of the front window. "Where is here?"

"My allotment. Come on." She jumps out of the car, her boots crunching through the unbroken snow. Tom pulls a face behind her back at the idea of getting out in cold, despite the fact that this was his insistence to come here in the first place, before pulling his hood further over his face and opening his door, stepping out.

"Not much of an allotment, is it?"

"It's down the hill," Lexi replies, pointing down the path with her gloved hand.

"Hey, hang on -" Tom grabs his hood to stop it from falling down. "- You never said anything about walking."

"You were the one who insisted on coming," she reminds him.

"Kind of wish I hadn't now," Tom grumbles, following a few paces behind her.

Despite his complaints, Tom is pleased to find that she hasn't condemned him to walk too far. It's not long before Lexi comes to a sudden stop, by a spacious patch of grass, one that appears to be covered in flowers.

A lot of flowers.

"How many are there?"

"Hundreds. I lost count." Lexi toys with the buckle on her coat pocket. "One for each of them."

"Each of what?"

"Every wizard. That I can remember, at least. Some must have been taken when I wasn't around, and there must have been more since then, and even Nekross memories aren't crystal clear, but..." She trails off, shrugging. "Yeah. Everyone. Even your mother. Oh, come on, don't look at me like that! It's not some big grand gesture that warrants that goldfish expression."

Tom closes his mouth, only to open it a second later. "You sure about that?"

"They're plants, Tom. I'm not giving these people back their lives." She shakes her head. "Come on. They need help surviving the snow."

---

"You've what?"

Lexi looks up from the child's work that she's grading, eyebrows pulled together. "I've never been to the beach."

"Why not?" Tom slides his gaze towards his best friend, as if this sorry fact is somehow Benny's fault.

"Don't look at me! Lexi's never claimed that she wants to go!"

"The beach is miles away, anyway," Lexi continues, curling a strand of hair behind her ear absentmindedly, already having re-focused on the paper in front of her. "Massachusetts isn't exactly well known for its coast line."

Tom hums to himself for a moment, taking a drink of his coffee, rising from his spot on the sofa, next to Benny Junior, wandering over towards the window, glancing out at the late afternoon traffic.

"Why don't we go?" He says suddenly.

"Go where?"

"The beach."

Benny Junior lets out a groan. "Are you being serious?"

"Why not?"

"The nearest beach is over eight miles away, Tom," Lexi replies, before her son can break in with some kind of trivial complaint.

"It's a three day weekend this week, isn't it?" Tom insists. "We could take the car. Make something of a family holiday out of it. Benny can drive us -"

"Whoa, whoa -" Benny holds up his hands. "You want to drag me into this? I thought this was a family holiday."

"You're family now too, Uncle Sherwood," Tom remind him, rolling his eyes. "You have to come too."

"Yeah," Benny Junior chimes in. "If I have to suffer, you do."

Benny glances between the two Clarkes, not keen on having the two pairs of warm brown eyes focused on him at the same time, before nodding towards Lexi. "Well, what does Lexi think?"

Lexi looks up again, as three gazes turn to her expectantly; apparently, she is the decision maker now. She puts the lid on her pen, pursing her lips, thinking.

"I suppose I don't see why we shouldn't," she says finally, causing her son to groan again, and Tom to beam triumphantly. "But it's not exactly the season for a family holiday, is it?"

"That doesn't matter," Tom replies, offhandedly. "It's spending time together that matters."

"Oh, yay," Benny Junior mutters sarcastically.

---

Despite his son's protests, Tom sticks to his word. On Friday, the four of them load up the car, lock up the brownstone, and turn left, heading straight along the road, headed for the interstate.

"Why do I have to sit in the back?" Benny Junior grumbles, and Tom can't help but agree with this, for he too has been demoted to the back seat, squashed amongst the luggage that wouldn't fit in the trunk of the ancient 1960s car owned by Benny.

"Because you're the youngest," Lexi replies, not even glancing up from the map that's resting on her side of the windscreen. "Plus, neither of you can drive, or read directions all that well. It's safer for all of us if you sit in the back."

Benny Junior pulls a face, but doesn't argue with his mother's logic, descending into silence instead. He gets his phone out of his pocket, and begins to text, fingers flying across the screen. Benny clucks his tongue, breaking the sudden quiet, leaning over to put the radio on. Tom spends the rest of the journey looking out of the window, half listening to the sound of Lexi trying to direct Benny where they need to go, and half lost in his own thoughts.

It's drizzling when they eventually pull up outside of the motel. Benny volunteers to venture out of the car and get them a couple of rooms, and comes back with room keys a few minutes later.

"The motel's almost empty," he says, passing one of the keys to Lexi, the one that unlocks her and Benny Junior's room. "The girl on the desk said that was because we've come at the completely wrong time of year." He grins. "At least we won't have any noisy neighbours."

They leave the car by the motel, choosing to walk down to the beach. Benny Junior makes another noise of complaint as he casts his eyes towards the sky, pulling the hood of his jacket up. Tom scuffs his boots against the concrete, because the atmosphere between the four of them is peaceful, but too quiet, at the same time. Maybe he's just grown too accustomed to Lexi talking to him whenever he walks into the same room as her, and now here they are, less than a metre away from each other, her steps in sync with his, but in silence.

"Is this it?" Lexi asks when they reach their destination wrinkling her nose up as she surveys the beach, unimpressed by the dull colour of the sand, the grey waves, and the thick layer of mist that covers them.

"What do you mean, is this it?" Benny, thankfully, is actually smiling, unlike his nephew. "This is great!"

"Hm," Lexi replies. She stoops down suddenly, picking a shell up from the sand, pressing it to her ear.

"I can't hear the sea," she says, a moment later, looking dismayed as she cups the shell in her hand.

Tom smiles, shaking his head a little. "You can't actually hear the sea in shells, Lexi."

"You can't?" She looks positively disappointed. "Then, why does everybody say that you can?"

"It's something that people tell their kids. Doesn't mean that it's true."

"How exactly does that protect them from the things that go bump in the night?" She shakes her head too. "Ridiculous."

"Not everything that kids get told is to protect them."

"I suppose so." Lexi's fingers close around the shell, and she slips it into her coat pocket, almost like a good luck charm. She casts her gaze through the mist, out to sea, a faraway look in her blue eyes, like she's remembering some far-off place on the horizon, that, if she squinted hard enough, she could see it emerge through the fog, so close that she could reach it.

"Come on, guys!" Benny's halfway down the beach, dragging his unwilling nephew behind him. "Are you just gonna stand there all day, or what?"

Tom makes a start towards them, speedwalking to try and catch up. He glances back when he realises that Lexi isn't following. She's still stood, stationary, staring through the mist that has started to creep further up the beach, swirling around her like an ethereal halo. It's like she's a ghost, a figment of imagination with her pale complexion and blonde hair left falling to her shoulders, and it's more than a little unnerving.

"Lexi?" Tom calls, and his voice suddenly sounds a little too loud for the desolate beach. The sound of her name brings her back to reality, and her oceanic eyes go to him, disorientation and curiosity flowing in them, just like the tide coming in.

"Coming," she replies after a moment, stuffing her hands into her pockets and striding towards him, getting clearer and clearer with every step.

"What's that face for?" She queries, eyebrow raised.

"Nothing."

---

"How the heck can you be awake so early?"

Lexi jumps at the sound of the voice, only to relax almost instantly when she registers who it is. "Habit, I guess." She raises her eyebrow at Tom, who's still clad in pyjamas, the duvet wrapped around him for extra warmth, just out of bed and only half awake. "What about you?"

"The bed wasn't exactly comfy." Tom fights off a yawn, moving to stand beside her. The top floor of the motel, their floor, has a small veranda out front; despite the morning mist beginning to roll in, the beach that they visited the day before is still visible, the waves lapping against the stretch of sand like a faithful animal companion.

"It's so quiet," Lexi notes, voice softer now. "Sometimes I wish it could always be this way."

"Hm." There's more silence between them for a moment. "Lexi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever think about them? Your family, I mean."

Lexi pauses, swallows, as if she has something lodged in her throat all of a sudden, and then shrugs. "Sometimes. Not as often as I used to. At first, they were all I could think about. But, well, life moves on, doesn't it? We know that better than anyone. Why do you ask?" She tilts her head, studying him now instead of the scenery. "Do you miss your family? Your friends back in England?"

Tom keeps his gaze on the railing in front of them; it's black, the paint chipping in places. "I suppose so. Haven't really thought about it."

It's been at least two weeks since his last email home to his family. And when was the last time he had actually spoken to any of his friends at home? Even to Quinn or to Katie?

Lexi notices the look on his face. "Have you got someone special waiting on an email?" She tuts, shaking her head. "You should really get on that, Tom. I've come to realise that women don't like to wait for these things."

"No. It's not like that. I was just thinking."

"About the girl that you were interested in," Lexi prompts. "The one you told me about...Kate, wasn't it?"

"Katie. And, yes, I was. I was living with her at one point."

Lexi picks up on the past tense. "Was?"

"It didn't work out. Like you said, just the way things are." He gives her a bemused smile. "Why are you looking so confused?"

"You seem very calm for someone who's just split up with a partner that they used to live with."

"You say it like it was last week. It was months ago, Lexi." Tom rolls his eyes. "Besides, it's not like you were making a big fuss when you and David split up." He can't help a scowl at the mention of the other man's name.

"That was different," Lexi replies, still watching him with an odd expression. "David and I weren't living together. We were just casually seeing each other. You two were serious."

"That doesn't mean anything. Some people get all the way to marriage and children before they realise that they weren't right for each other. I guess I was lucky in that regard."

"Yes. I suppose you were." Lexi finally stops looking at him, but her shoulders are hunched, her posture slumped, and that's possibly even worse than the intense gaze she's been giving him for the past few minutes.

"I don't regret it, you know."

"Regret what?" She asks, still not looking back.

"Bringing you two back. I don't regret it. Never have, never will."

Lexi sighs heavily, as if there's some kind of weight on her shoulders. "You say that now."

"Lexi! Do you honestly think that little of yourself?"

"What does it matter?"

"Of course it matters! Lexi, you're -" He cuts himself off with a frustrated sigh, looking out at the horizon once more.

"What?"

"I just - How can you not see how special you are?"

Lexi shrugs. "Because, in the grand scheme of life and the universe, I'm not."

"You are," Tom insists. "You're stubborn, and impossible sometimes, yeah, but you're also brave, and strong, and funny - I have a small list of about twenty other great things about you; do I have to repeat them all?"

"That's very nice of you to say," Lexi says, and the small flicker of a smile on her face shows that she means it. "But, that's not what being special is, and I think we can all agree that the definition does not fit me."

"Who cares about that? Who cares about the grand scheme of life and the universe? You're special to the people who love you, and that's enough. Your brother -" Lexi scoffs at this "- he obviously thinks that you're special, or he wouldn't have tried so hard to find you. And Benny Junior, and Benny Sherwood, they both think the world of you. I -" He stops again. "We think the world of you. You're special to us, and that's all that matters, yeah?"

Lexi is silent for a long moment.

"Yeah," she repeats, still sounding a little unsure, but nodding. She turns back to the view, before smiling and shaking her head. "I can see you there, Benny. Don't think just because you've grown up that you've outwitted me."

Tom turns, just in time to see his son peering out of the door from Lexi's room that leads onto the veranda, his hair sticking up in tufts around his head. From the look on his face, he's been hiding behind the curtain for a while.

"It's alright. Don't let me interrupt your little love nest, or whatever this is."

Lexi lets out a single chuckle, her breath puffing out in front of her in a cloud. "I wouldn't call it a love nest."

"It's more a nest of single people," Tom adds. "A single nest."

"Uh hu," Benny Junior replies, not looking convinced one little bit. "Well, when you're done with this single nest full of unresolved tension, I'm going to be downstairs. According to Uncle Sherwood, the motel do a free breakfast, and because you two clearly aren't going to stop talking long enough for me to go back to sleep, I'm going to go and check it out."

Lexi rolls her eyes, as he vanishes from view again. "He never fails to surprise me."

"Hm," Tom agrees, not sure what else to say, for Benny's words are now going round and round his head, and he can't help but try to pull them apart.

"We don't have any unresolved tension, do we?" He asks a moment later, causing Lexi to burst out laughing - proper laughter, instead of the chuckles he's been getting beforehand.

"What kind of question is that?" She says, looking both mirthful and reassuring. "Of course we haven't got any unresolved tensions, Tom. We're okay now. We moved past all that, and it's all good. I thought you were aware of that."

"Yeah. Good. I was just checking." Tom pulls a face at her for effect, although he's pretty sure that the kind of tension that Lexi thinks he means is not the same kind of tension that Benny Junior was talking about.

---

They stop off at the beach again before they take the drive back to Massachusetts. For once, it isn't misty as they take the long trek across the sand, meaning that they can see all the way out to where the grey line of the sky meets the line of the waves.

"I shall miss the sea," Lexi muses, pushing her hair back from her face. "It's awfully calming."

"Yeah," Tom agrees. Just as the sea is calm, the storm in her eyes is calm too, as if she's at peace. It's a refreshing sight to see.

"At least we won't have to suffer awful seaside town food," Benny Junior comments, thankfully making Tom look away from Lexi's eyes just in time.

Unresolved tension. Yeah, right.

---

February, 2020.

"You didn't have to," Benny Junior grumbles.

"'Course I did," Tom insists, gesturing to the cake sitting on the kitchen table. "I've missed out on the last six birthdays, I'm not missing another one."

"Yeah, but I missed your last six birthdays."

"I've had my important birthdays. You've got them all to come."

"Even so. You really didn't have to. I'm not gonna hold a grudge against you just because you missed my birthday again."

"Really, it's okay. I wanted to do it." He leans over and ruffles his son's hair. "Happy birthday, son."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Sorry it isn't a proper present. I wasn't sure what sort of stuff you like nowadays."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"I could pick something up later, if you wanted -"

"Seriously, it's fine." Benny raises an eyebrow. "Only..."

"What?"

"I was kind of wondering if, instead of a present, I could ask you for a favour?"

Tom looks surprised, but nods. "Yeah. Sure."

"Really?"

"Of course. I'm your dad; it's practically my job to do favours for you. Especially after the mess I've made of it so far." He nudges the teenager's shoulder. "Go on. What do you need?"

"Would you ask Mum out on a date?"

The mug in his hands almost slides to the floor. "I - What?"

"I did try to warn you." Benny pulls a face. "You don't have to; it was kind of a stupid favour -"

"Of course it wasn't," Tom says quickly, having taken a moment to recover for the original shock. "But I'm confused. Why would you want me to do that?"

"It's just...Well, I don't think she ever really got over you, you know? And, anyway, it's clear from what I've seen that you're still tripping over your own two feet around her, you're that in love with her."

"Oh..." Tom places his mug down, picks up a dirty plate from the sideboard, before putting it back again, wanting to keep his gaze preoccupied. "I don't know about that. I wouldn't say in love -"

"Well, I would, because that's the accurate term to describe what's going on."

"Love is a very complicated thing, Benny."

"And yet I'm doing a better job at recognising it than you are, and I'm supposed to be the child." Benny raises an eyebrow. "Says a lot, doesn't it?"

---

"That's a lot of glitter for a card."

Seven year old Daniel beams up at him. "It's for my mom, Mr Clarke."

"In that case, carry on. Good man." Tom claps him gently on the shoulder, only to feel another child tugging on his sleeve. He'd been dreading the day that Lexi would leave him alone with the class of small children, but, as it turns out, it isn't going all that terribly. No one has died or set something on fire yet, anyway.

"Yes, Julie?" He addresses the source of the sleeve-tugging.

"Aren't you going to make a Valentines Card, Mr Clarke?" Julie asks curiously, her glue pen hovering above the page.

"I don't know. I might do." Tom gives a shrug. "I wouldn't have anyone to make it for, though."

"I think you should make it for Professor Lesy," Sophie, the girl next to her, says brightly, and a clamour of other young voices murmur their agreement.
"Really? Why's that?"

"Because she always seems sad," Julie answers. "One time, I saw her crying outside of the teachers' lounge. She said that it was just dust in her eye, but I knew that she wasn't telling the truth. Professor Sherwood said that it was because someone had asked her where her husband was, and that it was a "sensitive subject"...whatever that meant."

"Yeah," Sophie chimes in. "So, if you make her a card, it'll make her happy."

"I'm not so sure that it would," Tom replies. "Why don't you guys make one for her? I'm sure she'll appreciate that more."

Julie and Sophie exchange glances. "Okay. But you have to sign it too."

"I thought they were supposed to be anonymous."

"But it can't be anonny-moose," Julie argues, her mispronunciation making him smile. "If she knows that you helped us, it'll make her happier, because she really really likes you."

"Yeah," another boy chimes in. "She's always looking at you when she's writing on the board. She thinks we can't see her, but we all can, right?" He addresses the room at large, and, this time, they all answer with cries of agreement.

Tom deliberates for a moment, before nodding, albeit a little reluctantly. "Alright. But you guys have to sign it as well, yeah?"

The children begin to clamour excitedly, Julie taking on the task of leadership and directing them into little groups. Tom watches as they cut a piece of card into the shape of a heart, showering it with several handfuls of glitter in a variety of colours. By the time that they've finished, the card is so heavy that he's afraid it might start to break apart under his fingertips.

David is off in the corner when Tom makes it into the teacher's lounge that break, talking to one of the new trainee professors. Tom glowers in his direction for a moment, before walking up to Lexi, and practically dropping the large envelope into her lap.

"For you."

She looks surprised for a moment, before narrowing her eyes. "Is this a joke?"

"No! No joke. I promise. Seriously, it's for you."

Lexi raises an eyebrow, but picks up the card anyway, sliding her finger underneath the flap and opening it, gently pulling out the card, a shower of glitter falling from it.

"The kids helped me," Tom explains quickly, as she opens the card. A small smile breaks out over her face when her eyes find the assortment of names scattered across the paper.

"That's so sweet," she says, almost cooing, glancing up at him a moment later with light in her eyes. "Thank you, Tom."

"You're welcome."

---

"Wow."

"Yeah." Benny nods towards the large bunch of roses sitting on the kitchen counter. "Steve brought them round earlier. Said it was the first of many surprises before dinner tonight - Not like that!" He grabs a tea towel and throws it in Tom's direction. "Take that look off your face. You're insufferable sometimes."

Tom merely grins. "It's my redeeming quality."

"It's something alright," Lexi cuts in, rolling her eyes, and Benny Junior snorts in agreement. "At least you've actually got someone to go out with on Valentines Day, Benny. Not like the rest of us."

Tom exchanges a look with his son.

"Well, that's not a problem," he says suddenly. "We, er, we could do something. You know, go out for dinner."

Lexi looks surprised. "You want to go out for dinner? With me?"

"Yeah. Sure." He glances at the two Bennys, both of whom are grinning triumphantly.

There's silence for a long pause, before Lexi suddenly nods. "Alright. Why not."

Tom pretends that he doesn't see his best friend's victory dance out of the corner of his eye.

---

March, 2020

It's the first week of March when the flat downstairs floods.

One of the water pipes combusts out of no where at three o'clock in the morning, and Benny paces up and down the hallway, growling into his phone, whilst Tom follows him around like a helpless puppy, his feet damp, squelching with every step he makes on the carpet. Lexi appears about half an hour after the commotion started, offering them sanctuary in her flat upstairs, meaning that Tom is sharing a room with his son, Benny gets Lexi's room, and Lexi takes the sofa. Of course, the makeshift air bed on the floor isn't exactly the comfiest in the world, and not even the comforting sound of Benny Junior's soft breathing is enough to lull Tom to sleep, and so, when it's getting on for five o'clock in the morning, and the first trails of sunlight are beginning to appear, Tom rolls off the mattress, careful not to wake the sleeping boy, and tiptoes out of the room, heading towards the kitchen.

He starts when he sees Lexi sitting at the table, surrounded by piles upon piles of A4 sheets. "What are you doing up?"

"Can't sleep," she replies, wrapping her fingers around her mug of coffee.

"Me neither. I think I can still hear Benny complaining through the walls." He sits down with a half smile. "What are you doing?" He picks up one of the sheets of A4. "What's all this -?"

"Hey!" Lexi makes a playful grab for it. "No sneak previews."

Tom grins, leaping out of the chair again, just to hold the paper above her head. "You know I'm just going to read it anyway, Lexi, so you might as well tell me."

"Fine." She rolls her eyes at him. "I'm fulfilling my resolution. Being more creative."

"Oh?" Tom examines the piece of paper more closely. "Wait - you're writing a book?"

"Yes." Lexi shrugs. "It started off a therapy, I guess. Dealing with, y'know, things, and then it just sort of evolved from there."

"Huh. Will there be any slightly better than average looking wizard characters involved?"

"Hm..." Lexi pretends to deliberate. "No. There will be a loyal pet with brown eyes, who the princess can rely on at all times, however, who may or may not be based on a real person."

"A pet? Thanks, Lexi. I'm flattered."

"Who said it was you?"

---

April, 2020

"And you know that there's fish fingers in the microwave -"

"Dad!" He can almost hear his son's eye roll on the other end of the line - or, at least, he would be able to, if it wasn't for the thumping beat from behind him. "I'll be fine. I can look after myself by now."

"I know, I know -"

"Well, then. Get back in there and have some fun." Benny Junior clatters about the kitchen, the sound almost inaudible due to the sound of music filtering out of the bar Tom is standing outside of, one hand clapped to his other ear so that he can hear his son. "Keep an eye on Mum for me. Make sure she doesn't worry too much."

"Will do." Tom hangs up after a quick goodnight, before slipping back inside, pocketing the phone as he ducks through the clumps of people loitering by the doorway, out of the way of the dance floor. Why on earth Benny suggested coming to this place, Tom will never know. His best friend says that it's because Lexi doesn't go out often, even less than Tom does, apparently, but Tom still can't comprehend why they couldn't have just gone out for dinner, somewhere Lexi might feel more comfortable. Not that she really seemed all that bothered, once Benny had bought her the right amount of drink to relax her; the last time that Tom had seen her, she'd been on the dance floor, amongst the hundreds of others out for the night, sticking out like a sore thumb, but not caring.

"All okay?" Benny asks, as Tom returns to the barstool beside him, reaching for his drink.

"Seems so." Tom glances at the crowd behind them. "You seen Lexi anywhere?"

"Uh..." Benny blinks rapidly, thinking. "No. Not for a little while. Shouldn't think she's in any sort of bother. She probably just found someone to dance with."

"Hm." Tom takes another drink. He doesn't particularly like that idea, but he doesn't say anything about that out loud. Benny would never let him forget it afterwards. "You see anyone?"

"Ah, not me," Benny grins, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm a faithful partner, after all. I dance with only one. What about you, though? You should go out there. Let loose a bit. You're looking tense now, to be honest."

"I'm fine."

"Uh hu. You always say you're fine. What's stopping you from going out there? Is it Katie?" He sighs, not giving his friend time to draw breath. "Tom, you said so yourself. That's over now. You can't keep thinking about it."

"It's not that."

"Then, what is it about?"

"Hey!" A new voice interrupts them, saving Tom from having to make up some kind of excuse. The two of them glance in the direction of the sound; Lexi has spotted them from across the room, and is now fighting through the hoards of people in order to get to them.

"Heeeey," she repeats, dragging the word out, leaning against the bar when she reaches them, her pupils wide and dilated, her face flushed. "Isn't this great?" She tries, and fails, to nod her head in time to the beat.

"You feeling alright?" Benny queries. "You look a little more intoxicated then you were earlier, Lexi."

"Nah!" Lexi insists, in a very un-Lexi manner, finishing her drink, and placing the empty glass back on the bar. "I've never felt better in my life!" She claps Benny on the shoulder. "C'mon, we should dance!"

Benny chuckles, shaking his head. "I'm going to have to pass on that one, I'm afraid." He nudges his best friend. "Tom can dance with you."

"I can?" Tom raises an eyebrow over the top of his glass. "I'm pretty sure I'm not intoxicated enough for that yet."

"Don't be such a grumpy raincloud, Tom," Benny says, with a roll of his eyes.

"Come on, Tom!" Lexi agrees eagerly, holding out a hand towards him.

When Tom takes one second too many to make his mind up about what he's actually going to do, Benny makes the decision for him; he yanks Tom's drink out of his hand, and shoves him in Lexi's direction, waving mockingly after him as Lexi latches onto his wrist and drags him off into the sea of people already dancing, seemingly oblivious to the sudden song change.

"You know I can't dance, right?" Tom says, having to yell above the noise of the music, shuffling back and forth, trying to mimic what some of the others are doing.

"Neither can I!" Lexi replies, sounding almost gleeful about it. "But, what does that matter? What does any of it matter? The night is young, and so are we!" She grabs hold of his hands and throws their intertwined fingers up in the air at the last part of her remark, eliciting a couple of drunken cheers from some of the people beside them. "Come on, Tom. Just go with it!"

Tom shakes his head at her words. "Do I actually get a choice?"

"No!" She waves their clasped hands around, nearly knocking into the person beside them.

Ah, what the heck. Tom eventually gives in, trying to make the effort, waving his arms around of his own accord, and attempting to jump up and down in time to the thumping music.

"Cheer up! Aren't you having fun?" Lexi yells above the noise, and, although Tom sticks his tongue out at her in response, he can't deny that this is a little fun, even though the space is rather enclosed, so there's not enough room to go completely wild.

A youngster with blue hair suddenly barges past them, sending Lexi stumbling forward, almost getting drink slopped on her as she staggers directly into Tom.

"Whoa -"

"Sorry -" She cuts herself off as they speak simultaneously, descending into silence for a moment. Well, as much silence as a moment like this can have.

"Hey," she says softly. She's so close that he can feel her warm breath fanning onto his face.

"Hi."

Yet another dancer - in fact, Tom is pretty sure that it's the same person with the blue hair - jostles them again, breaking the moment. Lexi leans away, out of his personal space as much as the dance floor will allow, chuckling awkwardly

"Sorry," she says again, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "I've, um - I've had a lot to drink, I just -"

"It's fine," Tom says quickly. "Let's just go find...you know."

"Benny?"

"Benny! Yeah. Benny." He nods fervently. "We need to find Benny."

---

May, 2020

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

Benny Junior is leaning against the doorway of the downstairs flat, watching his father sitting on the sofa. "I need a favour."

"Fire away."

"I think Mum's put a pair of football boots in the downstairs cupboard, but we can't find them. Would you be able to come and look?"

Tom shrugs. "Haven't got anything better to do, have I?"

Benny grins at him, as Tom gets up from his seat, claps him on the shoulder, and then follows him out into the hallway. "Thanks."

"I told you -" Lexi's voice echoes out from the downstairs cupboard. "I can find them myself!"

Tom raises an eyebrow. "That's what you always say, Lexi."

Lexi's head materialises out from behind the open door, eyes narrowed. "Are you insinuating something?"

"Who, me?" Tom masks his face with innocence. "Never."

"Hm." Lexi returns to the task at hand. "Nevertheless, I don't need any help."

"Oh, yeah?" Tom looks around the cupboard door, at the sight of Lexi squashed into the small cupboard. "Look, let me -"

"I can do it!" Lexi insists.

"Uh hu. Sure you a - Wh - Hey!" Tom is cut off suddenly, by someone shoving him forward, sending him stumbling into the cupboard too. "Benny -!"

The door slams shut in his face. Tom flails for the door handle in the darkness, rattling it when he eventually finds it. It doesn't budge.

"Benny!" Lexi hammers on the cupboard door with her fist. "Benny, this isn't funny!"

Silence.

She turns to the dim outline of where Tom is. "Can't you sort this out?"

"No." Tom tries the door again, muttering something under his breath, before shaking his head. "Definitely no. Looks like some kind of enchantment. Nothing will work against it."

"Oh, great." Lexi lets her forehead fall forward and collide with the door, making her wince. "Ow."

"What did you do that for?"

Lexi rubs her forehead with the back of her hand, throwing Tom a glare. "Because I can. Do you have anything else helpful to contribute?"

Tom shrugs. "The only thing we can do is wait this one out, so, no."

Lexi lets out something akin to a growl. "I'm going to ground Benny for the rest of his life."

He snorts. "Which one?"

"Both of them." Lexi runs a hand through her hair. "They set this whole thing up, didn't they?"

"Probably." Tom buries his hands into his pockets, clearing his throat. The cupboard is incredibly small, especially with the door shut. The two of them are practically sandwiched inside. "They seem to think that this is going to resolve our apparent tension."

"Tension," Lexi repeats, shaking her head. "I wonder about those two sometimes."

"So do I."

"It's completely ridiculous," she says, after a pause.

"Hm."

It's a small cupboard, after all. The air is bound to get humid, right? Tom is obviously going to end up leaning against the back wall with Lexi millimetres away, isn't he? It's inevitable that they'll have to start sharing the same limited oxygen supply, and Tom will be able to smell the mint from the toothpaste she used only twenty minutes ago.

And, if he does lean forward ever so slightly, to close the gap and brush their lips together, well, that's hardly his fault.

It is a very small cupboard.

---

"They've been in there a while," Benny comments, glancing at the clock on the wall. "How do you think they're doing?"

"The sooner they kiss, the sooner we'll find out," Benny Junior replies, sipping his coffee. "That was a good idea of yours, Uncle Sherwood. Genius."

"What can I say?" Benny shrugs, grinning. "I am pretty impressive."

"Can't believe I didn't think of it myself."

"Don't worry. There's hope for you yet." Benny busies himself quickly at the sound of the front door opening. Tom and Lexi walk into the kitchen, hand in hand, both beaming from ear to ear.

"So?" Benny asks, dragging out the word, whilst Benny Junior tries to hide his smug smile behind his mug of coffee.

"So?" Tom mimics, the sarcasm lost by the huge grin split across his face. His hand leaves Lexi's, only for his arm to wrap around her waist and draw her closer.

"Something you want to share with the rest of us?" Their son adds, feigning innocence to the fact that his mother doesn't pull away.

"Like you don't already know," Tom replies, rolling his eyes.

"Eh, true." Benny Junior shrugs. "Seriously, though, took you guys long enough. I thought I was going to have to start branching out to others for advice on what to do. Living amongst you two was impossible."

"You know that they're going to get worse than this, don't you?" Benny smirks.

Benny Junior risks another look at his parents - Tom nods to confirm this fact - and shudders. "Oh, God. I'm living with you from now on, Uncle Sherwood."

---

"Tell me," Lexi begins, shifting so that her feet are propped up on the coffee table, "how does one politely tell a child that they have awful handwriting?"

"Could try harder." Tom cracks an eye open. "That's what all my school reports used to say."

"Hm. I'm going to say Open to improvements." Lexi taps the keys on her laptop, before clicking something. "You know, you don't have to sit with me. You can go to bed if you want."

"I'm okay. It's you I'm worried about."

"I'm fine." Lexi gives him a gentle nudge. "I just want to get this done. It's getting on for the end of the year."

"How many is that now?"

"Ten down, five to go." She stifles a yawn, but Tom notices it.

"Okay, enough -" He swipes the laptop from her lap before she can protest. "We're going to bed."

Lexi raises an eyebrow, amused despite her exhaustion. "We?"

"What, you think I'm going to go when you like this? I know for a fact that you'll just get up again, as soon as I leave, and carry on working, and that's not good for you." He shuts the lid of the laptop. "So, yes, we're going to bed."

"But -"

"No buts." He all but drags her off the sofa.

"So, you're just going to sit and watch me to make sure I sleep? Should I be starting to get a little worried?"

"If I don't, you'll never get any sleep."

"How honourable."

"I've always been a man of honour. What can I say?"

"If you're just going to sit and stare at me, you might as well get in too."

"How do I know that you won't sneak off and work again?"

"You're just making this up now, aren't you?"

"I would never do that. Your health is my first priority."

"Of course," Lexi replies mockingly. "I'll shut the door to make sure that neither of us so much as sleep walk out of the room. Happy?"

"Appeased."

"I wasn't aware that you could use big words like that."

"Ooh. Ouch. Thanks, Lexi. I thought we were supposed to be good now, you know, with everything that's happened."

"Nothing's fair in love and war, Tom."

"Which one are we again?"

"If you're going to carry on talking, it'll be war, and I'll do the rest of my class reports."

"Okay, okay. I get it." He wraps an arm around her shoulders. "But, just to be clear, we're the love side of love and war, yeah?"

---

So. Yeah. There it is. I've been working on this since January, and it's finally done.

This is also the hundredth thing I have posted on Fanfiction since January 2014. My earliest thing posted on this site was for Wizards vs Aliens, and now, here we are at one hundred. It felt right to go back to this fandom for the milestone.

Here's to another hundred!