Something To Celebrate - A Branson/Sybil One Shot
A.N: I really wanted to read some Branson/Sybil fic but there seems to be none so I decided to write my own. I’m not a skilled writer, I just type what comes to me, so feel free to ignore this ;) It takes place during their scene in 1x07.
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"Something to celebrate?"
In the distraction, as Gwen spoke, Tom's hand somehow found Sybil's. For a crushing moment she did not respond and then he breathed a small sigh of relief as her fingers linked themselves delicately with his. The touch of her gloved hand was like a shock to his system. For a year he had watched her from afar. She had always been unreachable; so perfect and full of life. What had at first simply been a faint attraction to her beauty and rebelliousness, had grown into great admiration of her courage and passion, and he was not at all surprised to find that he was more than a little bit in love with her.
As Gwen was dismissed he looked to Sybil hopefully, into her wide eyes as she looked from their linked hands to his face, as if she was finally realising something. He took a chance.
"I don't suppose that-"
Tom did not know what he was going to ask; he was expecting the words to tumble out themselves and hoped that they would make sense when strung together. But now he never would know - Mrs Hughes was too quick for him.
"Lady Sybil…" The young woman held Tom's gaze for a second longer before turning hesitantly to Mrs Hughes. "Her ladyship was asking after you." They both knew it was not true and Tom knew that the moment had been lost before Sybil had even turned back to him, yet he met her eyes again and smiled when she did. Her eyes held both an apology and a promise. There was the smallest of smiles gracing her lips before she walked off and Tom watched her go with a new hope growing in his chest. He moved off, ready to go and wait for another opportunity where he and Sybil might find themselves alone together but he was stopped again by Mrs Hughes.
"Be careful, my lad, or you'll end up with no job and a broken heart." Her voice was not stern, it was sympathetic, but she was warning him off all the same.
"What do you mean?" He knew exactly what she meant and he did not disguise this fact. She said nothing before walking away, only giving him one final, meaningful look that brought him back to the reality that was the distance between he and Sybil. She was unreachable once more and that was not likely to change again.