Merry Christmas to everyone, but especially to GothamGirl28. This fic is based on her Secret Santa prompt which was: Either Tom or Sybil return home on Christmas Eve after being away on a conference/business trip. They weren't sure if they were going to make it in time, so it's a big, wonderful surprise when the other sees them. I've added a little romantic twist to it, which I hope you all like. Happy reading and Merry Christmas!

Through Darkness and Snow

Prologue

December 7th – Dublin, Ireland

Tom was spending a weekend in Ireland, visiting his family for a few days before Christmas. Sybil wasn't with him. She was working night shifts this weekend. They wouldn't have been able to see much of each other anyway, so they had decided that this was as good a weekend as any for Tom to take off. Tom wouldn't be able to see his family on Christmas day, as he and Sybil had decided to spend Christmas with her family in York this year. Although Tom spent most of the year physically far from his family, he was emotionally still very close to them. He spoke to them regularly, especially his older sister, Bronwyn. Especially since Tom's move to England when he started university, he and Bronwyn had become particularly close. They had become best friends and when they visited each other, they spent as much time as they could together.

"It's your choice, Tom," Bronwyn said, looking at the selection of rings they had in front of them in the jewellery shop. "She's your girlfriend. You know her better than I do."

"I know, but I need a second opinion," Tom said.

"If it's a choice of big and shiny or subtle and meaningful, you and I both know which she'd prefer," Bronwyn said. "There's no sense in buying a big diamond just for the sake of saying you bought her a big diamond. When I chose my engagement ring, it wasn't the size I cared about. It was all about how much it meant to me and how well it represented the love that Peter and I have."

"I love you, Bron," Tom said, hugging his sister. She always knew what the right thing to say was. She often told Tom what he already knew, but having the confirmation from someone he trusted was all he needed for him to trust his own mind.

A sapphire it would have to be. Of all the precious stones he could buy for Sybil, he knew that sapphires meant the most to her. She had told him as much. It was her birth stone, and she connected strongly with it. She was never sure why. She didn't believe in fate or luck or destiny, so it didn't seem to make much sense that her birth stone should mean so much to her.

Whether it made sense or not, those were the facts. Tom knew, deep down, that it only made sense to get Sybil a sapphire. He just needed someone he trusted to nudge him in the right direction and tell him he was doing the right thing.

-ooo-

December 24th – London, England

"No, no, no, no!" Sybil uttered as she ran down the platform towards her train, which was already pulling away without her. Sybil stopped and stared after the train as it left the station. That was the 3:16pm train from London to York – the final one of Christmas Eve going in the right direction. "Damn it," she said to herself.

Today was never supposed to go the way it had gone. Sybil had been at a nursing conference in London for a few days, which was supposed to end on the 23rd, but because of complications and bad planning by the conference organisers, it had been extended by a day, making its end infuriatingly close to Christmas. Now the weather was getting worse. Sleet, snow and strong winds meant that the later trains had been cancelled, and Sybil had just missed her last chance to get back home to her boyfriend before Christmas.

-ooo-

December 24th – York, England

Tom was tidying the house, ready for Sybil to return home for Christmas. She should be home just in time for dinner, and Tom wanted to get the house looking as nice as it could as a surprise for when she got home. Tidying the house when Sybil was around was like shovelling snow in a snowstorm. Tom was the tidy one. Sybil was the messy one. Sometimes Tom felt like he spent his entire life putting her things away, but when he was living with the love of his life, it was hard to complain.

A tidy house wasn't the only surprise he was planning. As he tidied things into the drawers of his desk in his home office, he took out the box he had been hiding for a few weeks. The box held the engagement ring he had bought with his sister back in Ireland. As he opened the box to look at the ring, his phone rang.

He looked at the caller ID. It was Sybil.

"Hello, darling," he said when he answered it.

"Hi, Tom," Sybil said.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked. "You sound off."

Sybil sighed. Tom sat in his desk chair, knowing that whatever Sybil was about to say was going to be bad news. He'd known her for long enough to recognise disappointment in her voice.

"I missed the last train to York and I don't know how to get home."

Tom didn't know what to say. He looked at the velvet covered box in his hands. His evening had been perfectly planned. Sybil was going to come home to a romantic meal after a long weekend working. When the time was right, Tom was going to get down on one knee and propose. Sybil was going to say yes, they'd fall into bed together and wake up on Christmas morning a newly engaged couple. Or, at least, that was the plan. But now, Tom couldn't even get past step one – getting the two of them in the same room. Maybe his grand plans would have to be postponed to another day.

"Tom?" Sybil said.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm still here," he said.

"Are you okay?" Sybil asked.

"Yeah, absolutely," Tom said. "Hundred percent." He shook himself back to the matter at hand. "There are no more trains?"

"Not if the weather stays the way it is," Sybil said.

"Are there any coaches coming up this way?" Tom suggested.

"I've already checked that," Sybil said. "There's one leaving just after five, but it's overbooked already, so I have no chance of getting on it."

Tom didn't say anything. He wasn't thinking clearly, and even if he was, he wasn't sure he'd have any useful suggestions anyway.

"I might just have to stay in London for the night."

"Syb, love, you can't. Tomorrow is Christmas day," Tom protested.

"I don't think I have another option. I'll keep an eye on the public transport. If the weather clears, I might be able to get home before tomorrow," Sybil said.

Tom could only bring himself to say, "I miss you."

He turned the velvet box over and over in his fingers. He wanted to declare his love for Sybil. He wanted to tell her that she was the most incredible woman in the world and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted her home. He wanted to hold her in his arms and smell her hair and kiss her lips. He needed her, and he couldn't have her.

"Oh, darling," Sybil said. "I miss you too. I'll stay in my parents' flat tonight and see if there's any way I can get home tomorrow. I'll keep you updated."

"There won't be any trains tomorrow, Syb. I could drive down to London in the morning," he suggested.

"Don't be so stupid," Sybil said lovingly. "I'm not letting you risk your life like that. I don't know what the weather's like in York right now, but if it continues down here like it is now, the roads are going to be covered in black ice by tomorrow morning. I'd rather spend an extra day away from you than have you permanently broken because of some stupid act of love."

Tom laughed lightly. "I love you," he said simply, all sorts of emotions in his voice. Lust, love, happiness, sadness. He felt like he was every character from Disney's Inside Out all at once.

"I love you, too," Sybil said. "Look, Tom, I'm going to have to go if I want to get to the flat before the snow gets too bad and the taxis stop running."

"Right," Tom said, trying to pull himself together. "With any luck, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you, Sybil."

"I love you, Tom," Sybil said before hanging up.

Tom flicked the box open and looked at the engagement ring. He knew he was doing the right thing. He knew Sybil was the one. He just wished he could propose to her tonight. With everything that would be going on tomorrow, even if Sybil did manage to get home, he might not get a chance to ask her to marry him. But if he didn't propose soon, he'd go mad. All he could do was find ways to pass the time to distract himself from how much he loved and missed his girlfriend, until he could see her again.

-ooo-

December 24th – London, England

Though Sybil had planned on leaving the station to get to the flat before the weather made it impossible, she had instead waited at the train station for over an hour, hoping that the weather would clear, and the trains would begin to run again. She couldn't tear herself away from the boards. What if the trains started running just after she left? And Sybil's patience and stubbornness had paid off. The screen showing the train times, which said 'cancelled' next to the majority of journeys, now said '14 minutes' beside the train to York. Sybil only had to wait fourteen more minutes and she'd be on her way to York.

She had time to buy herself a steaming cup of coffee and make her way to the right platform to wait for the train to arrive. When the train pulled up to the platform, Sybil was one of the first people to get on board, so she was able to find a free seat by the window. Not that being by the window made that much difference – it was already almost pitch black outside, and she wouldn't be able to see anything other than a few streetlights in the villages in the distance.

As soon as the train took off, Sybil's phone buzzed. It was a text from Tom.

Did you get back to the flat safely?

Sybil started typing out a message to explain the situation to Tom, and to let him know that she would be home tonight after all, but she deleted the message before she sent it.

I'm inside, warm, dry and safe. I love you.

It wasn't exactly a lie. Inside a train was still inside. And it was true that she was warm, dry and safe. She decided that she wouldn't tell Tom that she was on her way home. If she kept it quiet, she would be able to surprise him instead. That would be a Christmas present he would be glad to have. Once she got home, the train station was close enough to their house, that even if the weather was worse in York than it was in London, she would be able to drag her suitcase alongside her, through rain puddles or snowdrifts if needs be, on the short walk from the station to her front door. She smiled to herself as she imagined the look on Tom's face. The best part about Christmas was being able to give someone the one thing you know they wanted more than anything in the world. And it was only made better when you knew that the thing they desired most was you.

I love you. Tom texted. Sybil smiled at her phone. They told each other that they loved each other all the time. They showed each other that they loved each other all the time. Sybil felt a constant feeling of love when she knew she had Tom in her life, but every so often she had momentary surges of overwhelming love and affection for him. Right now was one of those moments. She couldn't wait to see him.

-ooo-

December 24th – York, England

After a few hours on the train, Sybil was glad to be back on home turf. As she made her way out of the station along with a small crowd that had got off the train with her, she realised why the trains had been so badly delayed. It wasn't currently snowing, but there was a considerable layer of white powder on the ground – more significant than it had been in London. She hadn't seen a white Christmas in years, and now that she was close to home and she knew she would be seeing Tom soon, she could see the beauty in it.

The snow had been carefully shovelled off the roads and salt grit had been laid down to prevent black ice and car accidents, but where the snow had been left untouched, on the pavements and on the roofs of buildings and the tops of walls, it glistened with the light from lampposts. There were pristine footprints in some areas, and muddied slushy footprints in others. There were the footprints of a fox who had run across the road and jumped through a hedge. Sybil was very cold, but she was happy.

She paused just outside the station to put on her hat, scarf and gloves, and then she set off on the walk home, creating new footprints in the snow, with a set of wheels alongside them left by her small suitcase.

After twenty minutes of walking in the dark, listening to the rhythmic crunch of the snow under her shoes, making sure she stuck to the main roads that had the best streetlamps to light her way, she arrived home. She walked up the drive to the front door and rang the doorbell. She had a key somewhere, but she didn't want to mess around trying to find it. And besides, she wanted to see the look on Tom's face when he opened the door and saw her standing there.

-ooo-

Tom wasn't expecting the doorbell to ring. It was seven o'clock on Christmas Eve. It wasn't exactly a normal time to have someone come to the door. He had just finished cooking his dinner and was on his way to eat it in front of the TV. He had made enough for him and Sybil out of habit, though he knew he would have to put her portion in containers in the fridge and save it for another day. He put his plate down on the coffee table on his way to the front door.

When he opened it, he was speechless.

"Surprise," Sybil said.

All of a sudden, Tom sprung into action and reached forward to bring Sybil into the house out of the cold. He hugged her tightly and lifted her off the ground, carrying her a few steps into the house, before putting her down and desperately kissing her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, an excited twinkle in his eye. "What happened to staying in London for the night? Why didn't you tell me you were on your way?"

"I thought it would be a nice surprise to see me," Sybil said.

Tom kissed her again and held her tightly. When they parted, Tom said, "The best surprise." Tom brought Sybil's suitcase in from the doorstep and closed the door to keep the cold winter air out. Sybil took off her hat, scarf, gloves and coat and hung them up on the coat stand beside Tom's coat.

"Have you been cooking?" Sybil asked, suddenly realising that the house smelled lovely.

"Mmm," Tom said. "I've just made dinner. I was about to settle in front of the TV to eat it, but if you'd rather, we can–"

"Tom!" Sybil interrupted. Tom always did this. Whenever he and Sybil had been apart for a few days, he felt the need to make up for lost time and created a sort of date night for her. There was always a nice meal, some wine, some candles, and some good conversation. And as much as Sybil loved it, it wasn't always what she wanted after being away from Tom for a few days. Sometimes she just wanted some time to sit beside him on the sofa and let their lives sync up again. "Eating dinner with you in front of the TV sounds lovely. The best way to spend Christmas Eve."

"I'll go and get some for you, then," Tom offered. "You get settled."

As Tom went off into the kitchen to serve Sybil some food, Sybil took off her shoes, which were not designed for trekking through the snow, and settled on the sofa. When Tom came back, they sat together on the sofa watching the second half of a terribly cheesy Christmas film, because they had only turned the channel on after it had started. It didn't matter that they didn't know the first part of the story. It was the spirit of Christmas that mattered, not the details of the plot.

-ooo-

Tom moved to get up, but Sybil, who was leaning on him, wrapped her arms around him and stopped him from moving.

"Where are you going?" Sybil asked.

"I was going to get a drink," Tom said.

"Do we have any wine?" Sybil asked.

"I don't know," Tom said after a pause. "I'll go and see what we have."

"No, no," Sybil said. "I'll come too."

Sybil unclasped Tom, and let him offer her a hand to help her off the sofa. She didn't need his help. But she took it anyway. She had missed him terribly these last few days and she would take just about anything he offered at this point.

Tom followed Sybil into the kitchen. She went across the kitchen to see if they had any red wine, and Tom took two wine glasses off the shelf in the hopes that Sybil would find a bottle.

"Aha!" Sybil said, turning around with a bottle of red in her hands. "Jackpot! Hand me a corkscrew," she said as she moved to the counter.

She stopped in her tracks. She put the bottle down on the side, and picked up a small square velvet box. She'd never seen it before, but she knew what would be inside. She turned to Tom, mouth open. He saw the box in her hands and stepped towards her. He quickly put the corkscrew on the side, took her waist in his hands, and stooped to kiss her gently.

"Sybil," Tom said, not entirely sure what was going to come out of his mouth next. He hadn't meant to leave the ring box out. He must have forgotten to put it away when he was tidying the house. His perfectly planned proposal hadn't gone to plan, and now he was caught off guard. "I love you. I know you don't believe in love at first sight, but I do." Tears were already falling down Sybil's cheeks. She knew exactly how this was going to end, and she couldn't help the feeling of happiness swelling in her chest. "I know it exists because it came towards me at a hundred miles an hour the second you came into my life. When something smacks you round the face with that much force it's impossible not to believe in it. Believe me, I tried," he said with a small laugh. When Sybil and Tom had first met, Tom had been in a relationship with someone else. As soon as he saw Sybil, he fell head over heels in love. He tried to deny it. He had always been sure he wouldn't be that guy who left one woman for another, but that all changed when he met Sybil. "We've had our moments, I know, but it only takes a day of being apart from you for me to start missing you. It only takes a day for me to realise that I never want to be away from you. You're clever, and beautiful, and kind, and funny, and honest, and loyal, and strong, and you make me a better person. Sybil, I love you more than you know, and I would love to have you in my life forever. Until the very end." Tom dropped to one knee in front of Sybil. He carefully took the ring box from Sybil's shaking hands and opened it towards her, fighting his own tears back. "Sybil, will you marry me?"

Tom had been concentrating so much on what he was saying that he had barely noticed that Sybil had been crying throughout his whole speech.

Sybil knelt down in front of Tom and kissed him fully on the lips. Tom's tears now matched Sybil's. He couldn't hold them back any longer. "Yes," she said when she pulled away. "Of course I will."

Tom wrapped his arms around Sybil and they held each other for a few moments, laughing, crying, loving each other.

"How long have you been planning this?" she asked, holding Tom's hands, as she sat back on her heels.

"A while," Tom said, beaming with happiness, moving into a more comfortable sitting position opposite Sybil. "I bought the ring when I was visiting home a few weeks ago. But I've been thinking about proposing for months. I had the whole evening planned. A tidy house when you got home. A romantic dinner. A proposal slotted in there when the time felt right. But that all went down the drain."

"I'm glad it did," Sybil laughed.

"What? A delayed train, dinner in front of the TV, and you finding the ring accidentally?" Tom asked with a laugh.

"This is perfect," Sybil said, cupping Tom's cheek in her hand and pulling him in for a kiss. "It was from the heart. It meant something. I know you well enough to know when you really mean what you're saying."

Tom smiled at Sybil and kissed her again.

"Here," Tom said, taking the ring out of the box and pushing it gently onto Sybil's finger. Sybil wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks with her other hand. She looked at the ring, and then back at Tom. It felt foreign on her finger, but the love it represented felt oh so natural.

"I love it," Sybil said. "I love you."

She leaned forward to kiss him in such a way that she straddled him, with one knee either side of him as she rested on his lap. The kiss was slow and passionate and meaningful. Sybil's hands moved to Tom's back as his moved to her waist, resting gently against the waistband of her jeans.

"I love you," Sybil repeated in a whisper, staying close enough to him that she could feel his breath on her skin.

"I'm so glad you said yes," Tom said. "I didn't have the time to be nervous since you caught me off guard, but had everything gone to plan, I would have been a nervous wreck."

"You really think I wouldn't have said yes?" Sybil asked. "Tom, I may not believe in love at first sight, but I can honestly say I've loved you from our second date. I've never fallen so hard or so fast before, and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other than you."

Tom smiled, fighting the tears back again.

"You mean the world to me, Syb," he said.

"Show me," Sybil said, her voice deepening slightly and becoming raspier. Tom knew from copious experience that the raspier Sybil's voice was, the more aroused she was. "Prove to me that saying yes was the right choice."

Sybil stood from her position and extended a hand to Tom. He accepted her help getting up and followed her to their room. Normally Tom was someone who thought sex was just sex, but tonight, it would be more. It would be more meaningful and more extraordinary. It would be with the woman who had officially agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. He was more in love than he had ever been, and tonight he was going to prove it to Sybil in the best way possible.