#[HAPPIESTJAMESHOOK]

[happiestjameshook-archive]

A WALK | Date: May 28th, 2019

The first thread. Tina Bell is running late for work and bumps into her boss, James Hook.

the halls of the motel had a sense of nostalgia, being it the dark wood hat eerily dented or the particular use of color. In a way, he’d placed a few of his childhood memories hidden in the motel he owned. It wasn’t like he was an overly sentimental man, at least that’s what he liked to tell himself. But you learned to take the lessons you’ve been given as a child with you, even if it’s subconsciously. And especially when parental figures were not a thing in someone’s youth.

‘I’m going out for a walk. Call me if I’m needed-James’  He’d written down. Days had been a bit calmer in the Neverland motel. And it was never wrong to go out for some fresh air.

The weather seemed to work in his favor, as there was a clear sky as he looked above. Perhaps that was why he failed to notice another person heading his way and bumped into them by accident. “My apologies.”

Tina was due to start work any minute now (and by any minute now, she meant ten minutes ago, and she was still a ten minute walk away from the motel). She had lied about having a presentation in class that morning, because she and Peter had been up late creating chaos, and she didn’t feel like slogging through work. The afternoon shift was the best she could get.

With a brisk walk, she weaved her way through the streets, avoiding pedestrians and bike racks and trash cans, and prayed that Hook or Smee wasn’t waiting for her at the door. It wasn’t the first time she had been late. Nor would it be the last.

Turning a corner, the hope of making it to work late but unnoticed shattered. A collision caused her to stumble, and she almost toppled over had she not swiftly stuck off hands on her hips and lurched forward with a mouthful of profanity. At this time, she hadn’t been looking up. The curses fell when she realized she was standing before the very person she was hoping to avoid. 

“Miss Bell.” James looked at his employee with a raised eyebrow, his hands crossed in front of his chest, and his head moved into a slight tilt. “How did the presentation go?” Seeing the bags under her eyes made him wonder if she had any sleep at all.

“I’ll make Peter’s meal instead. I’ll tell him you’ll be back tomorrow.”

Her brow furrowed and she found her mouth gaping open in confusion. “Presentation…?” Tina repeated. She had completely forgotten her excuse! When it finally dawned on her, the girl took a sharp intake of breath and feigned a laugh. “The presentation! Oh, it was… Just… Terrible. Didn’t go as planned. I have to redo it next week.” Hopefully, he would believe her. After all, she looked so utterly exhausted that she could blame her lapse in memory on the stress of the whole thing.

Of course, Tina had every intention of heading straight to see Peter and telling him that Old James Hook had gone soft. But Hooky didn’t need to know that.

“Ah, that’s a pity.  Anything of help I can offer?” However, he didn’t have a grand education due to being an orphan. He always had put effort into it before his new family kicked him out, and he got thrown out of school. No school took on a student for free, and those amazing stories of how teachers pity a student and hand them a free education, well that was a rarity on its own.

If anything, he was in a good mood. That was overshadowed by a worry about Peter, but he wouldn’t voice that.

“Not unless you feel like bribing my tutor. Or you could totally take her out on a date! Cheer her up a little, put in a good word for me maybe?” Tina was rambling now, hoping to steer the conversation away from her education completely. It wasn’t that she didn’t like going to class, but she had a hard time getting on with the other girls and her tutors found her stubborn and difficult to teach.

The girl nodded, though it was deliberately half-hearted. She would take offense to the fact that he thought she looked pale and tired later, but for now, she would milk it for all she could. “I mean… If you insist, Mr. Hook. I’ll go right home and sleep!” Tina resisted the urge to giggle when he pushed her hand away. “But really, you better watch we don’t come down with the same thing.”

James could feel himself rolling his eyes. “Do I seem the type of man who needs a date right now?” Sure, he’d been single for a while, but it wasn’t really the highest priority in his life right now. “Why does she even need a cheer-up?” Did this teacher get any gray hairs from teaching her students? He probably would if he was the one filling her shoes. Then again, he’d never say no to a challenge.

He nodded as she finally accepted his advice to rest. “I don’t get sick that often, so I’m not too worried. And even if I were, I’d know when to rest.” He shrugged. “Take good care of yourself, Miss Bell.”

[THE END]

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

[ 24. ] sender drapes a blanket over receiver, accidentally waking them. "sorry, go back to sleep." - James

Being on an emotional roller coaster 24/7 was exhausting. So were countless sleepless nights. It shouldn't have been any surprise when Tina finally fell asleep, curled up in a tiny ball on the sofa. It became one of those heavy sort of sleeps, where dreams were weird and time was slow.

Amidst her dream, there was a sudden warmth, comforting enough to contrast her dream and cause her to stir. Familiar hands had fixed it to her, hands she longed for.

Tina sat up, brow knit together in an attempt to make sense of her surroundings. Her nose was flushed, her hair a riot. She quite clearly ignored James' ask. "What time is it?"

@happiestjameshook

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[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

@happiestjameshook

pissing each other off as foreplay

[itspersephxne]

@happiestjameshook

on the day of the wedding clearly james was busy getting married and enjoying his special day with tina. persephone and himself arranged a catch up over some coffee when the wedding high had settled

"there's the freshly married man" she smiled, greeting him "congratulations again. how's married life treating you?"

[itsmee-william]

Looking down at his watch as he frantically got dressed, Smee panicked. He was tripping over his pants, trying to put his shirt on at the same time, pulling himself together because he was late. This was not the day to be late. He just hoped he could make it there before Tina noticed, or she’d likely kill him for interrupting her big day. Besides, he wanted to be there for James and he couldn’t do that if he wasn’t there, now could he?

Finally having his suit on, Smee adjusted the tie and smoothed out any wrinkles quickly in the mirror before rushing off. It didnt look like there were too many people there yet, thank god. He weaved his way through the guests, giving waves and smiles as he made his way toward the man of the hour. He finally spotted him, waltzing his way up. “Couldn’t let you get married without me,” he smiled.

@happiestjameshook

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

@happiestjameshook

― The Lover (1992)

[happiestjameshook-archive]

About James

Eyes: Blue | Green | Brown | Hazel | Grey | Other Hair: Blonde | Brown | Black | Red | Ginger | Grey/White | Multi-color | Other Body Type: Skinny | Slender | Slim | Built | Curvy | Athletic | Muscular Skin: Pale | Light | Fair | Freckled | Tan | Olive | Medium | Dark | Discolored Gender: Male | Female | Trans | Cis | No Gender | Other Sexuality: Heterosexual | Homosexual | Bisexual | Pansexual | Asexual | Demisexual | Other Species: Human | Undead/Vampire | Shapeshifter (Weres) | Demon | Angel | Witch/Wizard/Sorcerer | Incubus/Succubus | Other Education: High School | College | University | Higher Education Living Situation: Lives alone | Lives with parents/guardian | Lives with significant other | Lives with a friend | Drifter | Homeless | Boarding school Parents/Guardian: Mom | Dad | Adoptive | Foster | Grandparents | Family friend | none Relationship: Single | Crushing | Dating | Engaged | Married | Separated | It’s complicated I’ve been: In Love | Hurt | dealing with a crush | Sick | Abused | stabbed I have a(n): Learning Disorder | Personality Disorder | Mental Disorder | Anxiety Disorder | Eating Disorder | Substance-related Disorder | none of these Things I’ve done before: Drank alcohol | Smoked | Done drugs | Stolen | Self-harmed | Starved myself | Had sex | Had a threesome | Gotten into a fist fight | Gone to the hospital | Gone to jail | Used a fake ID | Gone to a rave | Killed someone Positive Traits: Affectionate | Adventurous | Athletic | Brave | Careful | Charming |Confident | Creative | Determined | Fearless | Generous | Honest | Humorous | Intelligent | Loyal | Modest | Patient | Selfless Negative Traits: Aggressive | Bossy | Cynical | Envious | Fearful | Greedy | Gullible | Jealous | Impatient | Impulsive | Insecure | Irresponsible | Possessive | Sarcastic | Self-conscious | Selfish | Unstable

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

Poison

Summary: Everything seemed have gone perfectly during the wedding Perhaps too well. After speaking with Toulouse, Tina becomes worrisome, moreso as the night goes on. James steals her away for a moment of peace and quiet. Here, they open some of the gifts left for them by guests.

Mentions: James ( @happiestjameshook ), Toulouse ( @beaumont-ague ), Mr Borovsky Trigger Warnings: Paranoia/ Anxiety, poisoning, drug spiking.

Somehow, by a miracle or some strange twist of fate, the wedding had gone on without a hitch. There hadn't been a problem in sight, not even from her friends, who had threatened to cause upset if she went through with the whole affair.

Tina was glad for it, frankly, and had been beaming for the entire rest of the evening. The socialising had been doing wonders for her ego, and then when she got tired of all that, she could cling to James for the rest of time.

She had mingled enough to know exactly who had arrived, and what they thought, and what the running gossip was to keep the guests entertained.

She knew about Toulouse. And his concerns…

Tina didn't mean for it to happen, but Toulouse's paranoia had rubbed off on her somehow. It crept up on her like a shadow, once hidden away in a drawer for safe-keeping and released by accident by a well-intentioned friend.

Mr. Borovsky's invitation to the wedding had barely been a blip on Tina's radar, after James had mentioned it the first time. Yes, he was a strange and unsettling man. Yes, she was under strict orders not to take anything to do with him at the hotel. But Tina could only assume that was because she was incredibly well-versed in annoying important people and making messes where she really ought not to. He wasn't to be meddled with and that was final… Didn't mean he wasn't allowed to have a great time with other important people from around town.

It wasn't even that Mr. Borovsky was there that had unsettled Tina.

It was the idea that rarely things were allowed to go right around here.

That every time something nice happened, something sinister followed.

Tina had been spiked before, she wasn't a stranger to it. She wasn't a stranger to disaster, either. Her mental health was shot to all hell and frankly the only thing— the only person who had managed to stick all the pieces back together was James.

The bonds on those pieces seemed to be threatening to come apart.

Henrik was at the wedding, with Terence stuck to him like a bodyguard. (Well, a skinny, less threatening bodyguard… Henrik's real bodyguards looked much more likely to do damage but they were easy enough to erase from memory until they suddenly weren't). He was still recovering for what seemed like months. Tina thought of Alice, that kid that had disappeared, and Adam, who had fallen so suddenly ill at a festival that no one knew what to do.

Hell, now that all these disasters were springing to mind, she couldn't help but think about James and the many horrible things that had befallen him since she had known him. His mother, his mental health… the attack by an apparent "old friend" that had left him for dead. The picture of James that night would forever be seared into her consciousness.

Tina had really tried her hardest not to think about it all night. There shouldn't have been any threat of danger (except the looming threat that it wasn't too late for Peter to do something). Everyone was being civil. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

James arrived before a spiral could begin and then they were off dancing for what felt like an entire night and then some. Here he was again, unknowingly holding the pieces together as he held her in his arms.

The night drew on and it seemed they had avoided all concern.

James pulled her aside for a moment alone to steal some heated kisses and whisper sweet nothings in her ears. Her heart was so full in that moment that she decided, then and there, that she would do anything for him. It didn't matter what. She had decided this many times before but now she really knew. Now she really understood the weight of it.

The pair perched on a bench. Nearby was a table, laid out with gifts that guests had brought for them. It seemed as good a time as ever to look them over.

A photo album, some fancy towels, a set of crystalline wine glasses and vouchers for a weekend at a really fancy spa in the next town over. Some had names, or cards, others did not. Amongst it all, a bottle of wine from the Red Orchard, distinct with its deep green glass against the delicate white tablecloth. Attached, an envelope, as black as a moonless night.

"To James, for you on this special night. Congratulations."

James had decided to christen the wine glasses by opening the bottle.

Tina was fixated on the letter.

A few things went through her mind.

First… why did that black envelope seem so important? Where had she heard of black envelopes before?

Second… it was very rude that the wine was only addressed to James, when they were both getting married. Shouldn't everything on the table be for both of them?

Third… third went back to the envelope. She looked at it a few times, turning it this way and that way in her hands. Why hadn't they said who it was from?

James was pouring the wine.

He had asked if Tina wanted a glass, but she hadn't really heard him and shook her head no.

An uncomfortable feeling found her stomach. In her worry, she had fallen silent. James might have been speaking, but she wasn't listening to a word he was saying.

Movement out of the corner of her eye - James lifting the glass - made her turn.

Finally, she managed something.

"I don't think you should drink that…" she said, quietly. James was close enough to hear, but her apprehension was palpable enough that she could not allow anyone nearby to hear it. Nerves, paranoia, and disaster shouldn't be three words associated with a wedding day.

The glass was already on its way to James' lips. Perhaps he hadn't heard her. She dreaded to think that he had ignored her concerns.

Tina Bell was famous for not thinking through the consequences of her actions. Why would that change now?

Just shy of his mouth, Tina's hand flew to cover the rim. Her other hand grabbed his wrist, stopping it where it hung in midair.

This should have been enough. Anyone else would have let it end there. A warning to be heeded, and nothing more.

Tina could not allow the worry in her heart to be filled with even a drop of doubt.

Before anyone, before even she could stop it, the glass was pulled from James' hand, brought to her own lips, and downed like a person lost in the desert, stumbling across a puddle.

Not a drop was left in the glass.

Not a breath was left in Tina's lungs.

Her eyes never left James', stubborn in her insistence that she was right and James wasn't to drink the wine. She had saved him!

There was a long, painful moment of silence.

It occurred to her in that time, while reeling from her quick decision, that she had given no explanation to James. The decision had to be made quickly, you see, for any time spent on explanations would simply leave more time for James to drink the wine.

"It's poison, James."

Poison.

Poison.

If he drank it, he might have died!

And she had saved him! Yes, how clever!

The glass fell from Tina's hand, landing with a gentle thud amongst the wildflowers at her feet.

[happiestplacehq]

Please unfollow @magicaljameshook and follow @happiestjameshook

Naomi remade some blogs and I posted this one wrong by mistake!

[happiestjameshook-archive]

HEADCANON | 001

James actually has no issues being flirty with people, however talking about his emotions or how he feels is something completely different. Love is actually very hard for him, he finds it terrifying to attach himself to a single person after being thrown away as a child. Unlike some of the orphans who don’t remember much about their parents, James entered the orphanage when he was six years old. He was told by his own mother that he was thrown away, a burden, worthless and this was his punishment for being just that. The reason is a divorce between her and his father. If his own parents are capable of abandoning him, why would his lover remain? For that sole reason alone, James had made an oath to himself that he would never fall in love. An oath he seems to struggle to keep lately

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

Starter for @happiestjameshook

24 hours had never felt so long.

Or so lonely.

Tina had had visitors but when they had to leave it truly hit. There was nothing like sitting in a room while someone else slept. There was nothing like sitting in a room with someone you desperately wanted to talk to and couldn't.

At some point the weight of it came over her and she fell asleep unwillingly. It had been a real heavy, dreamless sleep, for which Tina was thankful, but cold, hard reality hit just as terribly when she woke up in the sterile, bright room, alone in silence but not in company.

James hadn't woken up yet. She had checked on him multiple times through the first day and through the night. She was growing rather impatient, sick with worry, and fighting horrible vision every time she looked at his sleeping face.

Tina had spoken to him a few times, of course, but it didn't work. Not like last time. The nurses eventually had to pull her away and threaten more sedation before she could return to her bed. She wasn't well enough herself to be upright.

It had long passed a reasonable hour when Tina finally curled up as small as a bundle of twigs. The nurses promised they would wake her if anything changed, and gave her the rings she had been asking for incessantly.

Beeping, once more, broke through, and voices and suddenly Tina was wide awake, sitting upright.

He was waking up!! James was waking up! Again, strange visions poked the back of her eyes but who cared?!?! Whatever feeling this was, right now, was all consuming.

Tina sat small on the edge of the too-big bed, clutching her hands and waiting. The nurses spoke to him, gave him assurances and all Tina could do was fight the urge to barge right through and do it all herself.

Then… he looked at her. Tina was frozen in place.

Frozen there until the nurses felt it was finally time to leave. It was such a long time. She barely blinked. Her heart thrummed. Even then, when they left, to take notes or call a doctor or whatever they were doing, she seemed stuck there.

Apprehensive or afraid or maybe dreaming still.

Finally, of all things, it was her mouth that went first, quiet and hoarse and timid.

"Hey…"

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

A Quick Look

Starter for @happiestjameshook

Tina had managed to escape from her entourage unnoticed, desperate for a moment of quiet and a break from all the fawning. While she enjoyed all the pampering and attention, she was quickly becoming overwhelmed by the noise and the chaos and the nerves. The last thing she needed was a meltdown right before walking down the aisle.

Actually, right now, all Tina really wanted was to see James. Tradition (or superstition) said that the groom wasn’t supposed to see the bride before the wedding, but Tina didn’t think she could wait another two hours. If she could just give him one hug then she could get through the rest of the day.

So, Tina crept through the house, wedding dress hiked up for easier sneaking. She really hoped James was alone. At this point, she was determined to see him no matter what, and would just have to kick anyone out that got in her way. She reached his room, rattling gently on the door.

“James, it’s me,” Tina said, trying to take a peek into the room through the keyhole. “Can I come in? I want to see you, but you have to close your eyes.”

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

@happiestjameshook

wish i could call in bitchy to work

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

Alexa, play Bring Me to Life by Evanescence

Summary: After 2 weeks experiencing the worst nap of her life (see: coma), Tina finally wakes up.

Mentions: James ( @happiestjameshook ) Trigger Warnings: Hospital, death, poisoning, drugs, panic attack (described as happening), sedation. Tina is very distressed, so please read with caution.

First, there was a light.

And then it went out.

A haze of unfamiliar vibrations; colours, sound. Voices without a face, or words. Places with no names. Grotesque distortions, a cacophony of everything. The feeling of being small. Of flying. Of falling.

The dreams were unpleasant in their realness, feeling very much like they had happened and were replaying as memories, more than fantasy. They went along with searing headaches, heartaches and emotions so intense it felt that they may be the only thing she would ever feel again.

The light was lingering, but barely.

A rhythm, suddenly, pulsing in her ears. The clapping of hands, over and over, from everywhere and nowhere. Pulsing. Beating. Beeping.

Beeping…

Beep…

Beep. Beep.

Incessant beeping.

And light again. Blinding.

So bright, too bright!

The dull ache of consciousness found Tina before she had time to understand it.

It was slow to arrive, but quick to hit her.

In an instant, it was on top of her. The bright lights of something, like direct sunlight in her eyes, and sounds and smells and a heart that wanted to jump out of her chest and the beeping getting faster, faster, and she was upright and swirling and breathing, breathing too much, too quick! Her body felt wrong and what was this thing that was sticking to her?!

Run, get out! Go!

But she didn't know how, she was tangled, and could barely move, hardly see. She felt green and swallowed it.

Words had fallen from her mouth but they didn't make any sense. This didn't make any sense!

"Miss Bell, it's okay," someone said, entering from a door she hadn't noticed. Their hands tried to move her but instinct wouldn't allow her to let them. She tried to sit, to roll off the high something that she was laying on. Her feet were freezing, dunting off the metal frame of the hospital bed, never reaching the floor.

"I died!"

"Miss Bell, you didn't die. I can assure y—"

Her eyes were the size of saucers, with two large black olives in the centre, consuming the delicate blue of her iris almost completely.

"I did! I remember it!"

Tina latched on to the nurse's scrubs, pulling them closer, a desperate plea.

"My light went out."

She spoke with such seriousness that the nurse would have been inclined to believe her had they not been the one updating her chart since bringing her to the ward.

"It was poison. In the— In the…" Tina drifted. From the outside, it appeared very much like she was trying to remember something. Something suddenly wasn't adding up. Medicine, she could remember. Poisoned medicine. But that wasn't right. Was it? No. No, it was wine… But the wine and the medicine seemed so distinctly different in her mind. From different times, different places.

"And—and— there was clapping! But I did, I swear! I was as good as gone!"

By now, another two members of the nursing team had entered the room, alerted to the commotion coming from the once painfully silent room. They were prying her shaking hands from the nurse, trying to console and distract.

"Miss Bell," the nurse tried again, when their neck was no longer at risk. "I know this must be very confusing and frightening for you, but you have been… asleep for a few days. Nothing more."

"No! But I—" It was becoming quickly apparent that Tina had no idea where she was. The nurses struggled to bring her back on to the bed. She made a thankfully thwarted attempt at tugging out the venous catheter from her arm. Her eyes darted around the room, like the entire place was a foreign concept. "Please let me go!"

Her plea was ignored as the nurses continued trying to lay her back down. The incessant beeping from a nearby bed mixed with the wild, high-pitched beep of the machine beside her own, going faster and faster as Tina's heart beat took over every other feeling in her body.

Tina had known panic. She had known fear. Hell, she had known a bad fucking trip. But now it seemed it was consuming her with such intensity that her ability to reason was gone.

Her brain flooded with thoughts that didn't feel like her own, memories from something or somewhere else. Nothing was clear, except for his face.

They finally had her sitting back against the pillows, taking the sudden silence as their opportunity.

Finally, an old habit returned.

Tina hands, in their nervous habit, looked for something to fidget with. Left hand. Finger beside the pinky. A ring.

She looked down at her hand, turning it over and over. A different sort of panic seemed to take over, one not concerned with death.

"Where's my ring?"

Her emotions swung violently somewhere else. Nose turned pink, ears turned red.

Then… something else came to her mind. Something that felt so incredibly real that she had no doubt about it.

Tina knew where she was. She knew the burn in her nose caused by clinical cleaning products, the sting of fluorescent lights even when the world outside lay in darkness. That incessant beeping was incessant because she had heard it before during one of the worst experiences of her life. She had been in this room before!

Two images of the man flashed before her eyes. One gentle, one not.

One who loved her.

One from a terrifying dream.

"Where's James?!"

Tina, so tunnel visioned in her pursuit of escape and answers did not see the other nurse near the drip, or what he put in it.

The world felt heavier.

"James is in the bed right next to yours, Tina," he said, softly, nodding in the direction of the steady beeping of James' heart.

Of course, Tina tried to get to him but putting up a fight suddenly felt so difficult, limbs weak and brain fuzzing over.

"Uh-uh-uh… you can see him when we get you sorted. He isn't going anywhere fast."

Finally, she was laying back on the bed, breath hitching, tears streaming.

Inconsolable.

"We'll get the doctor to come around to check you over once you've had time to adjust to being awake again."

[xaspiringbeamoflightx]

Self-Para: Sulking

Summary: Set during the opening of Ray's new bar Evangeline's, following a tense conversation with Peter. Tina is upset, and seeks out James for comfort.

Mentions: James ( @happiestjameshook ) Peter ( @itspeterpxn ) Trigger Warnings: None.

Tina's hands trembled, the red of her ears visible only because she had forgotten to paint them with the rest of her costume. It was hard enough to hear in here with the sound of jazz music blaring from every corner, but her pulse in her head and neck was becoming an easy contender.

It had taken everything in her power not to throw a punch. It was taking everything in her power now not to burst into floods of tears. The corners of her eyes stung almost as much as the pang in her chest.

Peter was out of sight now. The rush of it wore off, leaving Tina with nothing but her feelings and a panic.

It took her a trip to a bathroom cubicle where she unravelled an entire roll of tissue just to feel some sense of control again. Two thoughts rang through her head over and over. I need to find James. I want to go home.

But she couldn't in that state. Not until she had lulled herself into a general state of burning calm. The ultimate sulk. The rage left a gaping hole, stuffed with tissue paper.

Tina emerged from the bathroom eventually, and set on locating the one person in her life who might keep her standing. Her entire body was screaming at her to find safety.

He appeared quite content, and comfortable, as he often did now, conversing with acquaintances. It would be unwise to interrupt their conversation with rage in her stomach and tears in her eyes. Tina was sick to the back teeth of people talking about her. That would do nothing but start yet more conversation.

Tina steadied herself not with a fake smile, but with a deep breath and a reserve that James had only witnessed a few times. This was not a want for attention. It was the need for quiet comfort and forgetting any of this bullshit ever happened.

Ducking her way through the crowd, Tina arrived silently at James side. She did not announce her presence, save for taking his hand in hers.

The inside of Tina's cheek was raw. Iron and salt lingered on her tongue.

He had glanced at her, his words stumbling for a mere second before continuing his conversation. Tina had positioned herself in such a way that he would not fully see her face, lurking ever so slightly behind his arm like a child being coaxed into the dentists' office. Her attention was elsewhere.

James' conversation partners noticed, of course. Their strange looks weren't lost on Tina. There was judgement there, or perhaps concern, but only in the same way that strangers might look at you on the bus.

"Oh! And this is my wife, Tina," James introduced, mid-conversation that Tina had no part of.

Peter's voice rang through her head, which did not help. Tina squeezed James' hand a little tighter.

James' acquaintances offered their greetings ("Nice to meet you", "We've heard so much") and outstretched their hands. Tina shook them, as socially required, but offered nothing more than a polite smile in return.

It was obvious, at least, that Tina was tired, social battery and patience quickly draining. She leaned on James, fidgeted with his ring, and kept her gaze anywhere but the conversation-havers. They didn't seem particularly fussed, and spoke to James as if she wasn't there at all. But James had snuck more than a few glances her way in between keeping up appearances and knew that if the conversation lasted too long after this that they may not make it home without hysterics.

He was savvy enough to understand that asking her what was wrong, or if she was okay, in front of anyone would result in tragedy for all involved.

What was wrong, James of course couldn't tell, but his intuition told him enough. He took the arm that she had been clinging to, wrapped it around her shoulders, and gave her a squeeze without missing a single beat in his conversation.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, James' friends took their cue to leave. Maybe it was Tina's brow knitting closer and closer together that gave them the hint, or the fact that James had almost successfully ended the conversation three times that had given them the hint.

Once they were alone (in a room so crowded one could scarcely move) Tina sighed.

James gave her a pointed, questioning look.

Her gaze did not meet his, instead burning lazerbeam marks into a nearby chair.

"This party's lame…" Tina mumbled.

James watched her for a moment, flipped a coin in his mind whether to ask why. He tucked a strand of dishevelled hair behind her ear.

"Wanna go home?"

She nodded.

"Please."