Author's note

Thank you so much to everyone who has read/followed/reviewed/favourited the collection so far! I love to hear from you. Also, since alerts were not working the weekend I published the previous story of this collection (on the Easter Rising), you might want to go back a chapter to check it out if you missed it.

My contribution to the Rock the First Date AU S/T challenge on Tumblr!

Such stuff as dreams are made on

Sybil set off from Mrs Branson's house in the early evening, nervous and excited as she headed through the crowds towards the city centre. She was on her way to meet Tom after he finished work, for a very special reason….

Tom had suggested it to her the night before, when they were sitting in the kitchen. Tom's mother was out visiting one of the many Branson cousins, so Sybil was snuggled on Tom's lap with his arms around her, resting her head on his shoulder as they talked about their days. He said – "Sybil, love – you know what we've never done so far? Been out together in the evening, alone. Now that we are engaged, I think it would be perfectly proper for me to escort you out tomorrow night, don't you?" "Darling, I would love that! What should we do? Oh, I know – can we go to see a moving picture? I've never done that either, you know."

Tom smiled – "That sounds like a great idea. We can go to the Volta – it's quite central so we can go out afterwards if we want to." Sybil smiled – "I'm looking forward to it already. Maybe we can see one with Mary Pickford – she is so glamorous!" He put his finger under her chin and tipped her face up to his for a kiss, quickly followed by another, then he winked at her and ran his thumb gently along her bottom lip – "She can't hold a candle to you, beautiful girl. I can't wait to get you out there and show you off!"

The following evening, Sybil found her way to Mary St, and saw Tom waiting outside the cinema for her – "Hello, sweetheart, you look gorgeous. You're in luck – they're showing the new Mary Pickford picture tonight just for you." Sybil took Tom's arm and they made their way inside, where a uniformed usher showed them to their seats – in fact, their seat, because there was no armrest between them. Tom sat down and looked expectantly at his bride to be, and Sybil, feeling rather daring, didn't hesitate to sit down beside him. As the light came down, Sybil could feel Tom's arm tightening around her shoulders, and she realised that there was more than one reason to see a moving picture – the blessed privacy afforded by sitting in a dark room with strangers meant that she and Tom could sit together, with his arms around her, and no-one would know or care.

As they headed out of the cinema, Tom suggested they stop for a drink at Mulligan's before going home. "It's only just on the other side of the Liffey, and it's a great spot – I'd like you to see it." Sybil was always excited to learn more about Dublin and she had never been to a pub before either ("Quite an evening of firsts!" she thought), so she eagerly agreed, and took Tom's hand as they walked towards the river through the darkening streets of her new hometown.

Once they arrived at Mulligan's, Tom led Sybil inside and found a table for them in a quiet corner niche. He headed to the bar, getting them each a generous glass of Jameson's. Although Sybil had been used to drinking wine with dinner for some years, whiskey was new to her and halfway down her second glass she found herself with a pleasant feeling of lightness, as well as an overwhelming attraction for her handsome companion.

Biting her lip seductively, she got up and pushed Tom to the back of the wooden bench, sitting on his lap as she did so. Although she had done the same thing the night before at home, the fact that they were in a public place tonight gave her an extra frisson of excitement that intoxicated her even more than the whiskey. "Well Mr Branson, how are you enjoying our first date?" Tom didn't answer immediately – instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, whispering in her ear, "It's getting better all the time, milady."

Sybil put her arms around Tom's neck and pulled his face to hers for a kiss. Tom responded with ardour to match her own and the kiss quickly deepened. As the passion Sybil had already learnt was never far below the surface between them rose up like a flame, Tom's hand ran up and down her back, burying itself in the simple braids twisted at the back of her head. Before long, they were utterly lost in each other, oblivious to the world around them, until –

"Branson, is that you?" A man in a tweed jacket was looking quizzically at them and Tom looked a little flustered as Sybil scrambled off his lap. "Sybil, I'd like to introduce you to my editor, Kevin Flaherty. Mr Flaherty, this is my fiancée, Sybil Crawley." Sybil flushed – what bad luck to get caught by Tom's boss! It wasn't as unlikely a coincidence as all that, in fact. If only Tom had thought about it, he would have remembered that Mulligan's was one of the main haunts for writers and journalists in Dublin after hours. Although he knew he'd face some serious ribbing at the office the next day, he didn't care at all – those minutes with Sybil in his arms had been worth it, as far as he was concerned. He could already guess what he would be dreaming about that night…

A/N - Tip of the hat to William Shakespeare for the title of this story, of course! Thanks also to two fellow S/T authors – to the Irish Chauffeur, whose story "Home is Where the Heart is" was where I first read about the Volta, which was Dublin's first dedicated cinema, and to the Yankee Countess, whose story "A Birthday Treat" gave me the idea for the pub scene!

A couple of historical points: I have taken a bit of artistic licence here – at the time this story is set, this cinema, which was set up by James Joyce, showed only short programmes, and there weren't any lovers' seats there! Mulligan's is still one of Dublin's historic pubs – James Joyce was also known to have a pint there on occasion, and some of his characters in Dubliners stopped in there too.