WHO: Thomas McCormack and an unexpected guest
WHAT: He's got a decision to make
WHEN: TODAY!
WHERE: Player Hotel!



Thomas wearily made his way up the stairwell to his hotel room. He had been avoiding the lift with the feigned excuse of wanting to get more exercise in, but in reality it was to keep himself from running into other players. All he wished to do was go to practice, play in the match, then go back to his room. There was no need for human interaction of any sort, and Thomas was counting the days until he could be back home in Scotland and begin his hibernation until the beginning of next season.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he finally got to his floor, glad that the room he shared with Rafe Kirke was at the end of the corridor. Thomas was already taking off his cloak when he spotted someone leaning against his door, and he froze to his spot.

“What are you doing here?” he rumbled.

Audrey Bagshot pushed off his door, arms crossed and a seemingly nervous smile on her face. Thomas fought every inclination to turn around and run back down the stairs; he needed to deal with her if he wanted to get out of the slump he found himself in.

“I wanted to talk to you,” she said, pushing her long brown hair over her shoulder. Thomas dropped his gaze, knowing that looking her in the eye had a comparable fate to a stare down with Medusa. “Things escalated quickly on New Year’s, huh?”

“You’re not supposed to be up here,” he said, waiting for a moment to push past her and to his room. How had she even gotten up here? Security had been tight, players’ wives had to jump through hoops for visits.

Audrey let out a breath, taking a few steps toward him. Thomas stepped back.

“I’m not going to bite.”

“Oh, there’s a lie if I ever heard one,” Thomas snapped.

They fell into silence again. Thomas felt the headache that had already been brewing at the base of his skull begin to pound harder and creep up and grow. He was going to have to go straight to sleep, he was going to have to take a two hour long shower, he was---

“What---”

She’d reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt. Thomas’ stance was too strong for Audrey to pull him towards her, but she came forward, pressing tightly against him. His hands went up to avoid touching her further, but now he couldn’t avoid her eyes.

“I wanted to apologize,” she whispered, eyes pleading. He’d forgotten how many different colors made up her beautiful gaze. “I’m sorry for everything.”

Thomas blinked, sure that he wasn’t hearing her correctly. Sure that he was hallucinating, that his stress had finally gotten the better of him, that this was a trick. He shook his head. It didn’t matter what it was.

“That’s nice,” he muttered, trying to pull himself away, but Audrey’s nails gripped tightly to his clothing.

“I want a chance to win you back,” she said, pushing up on her toes. “Seeing you at the party made me realize...it made me see how much I threw away. We had something good.”

He let out a breath, realizing in this moment how much he’d yearned to hear those words. This was the woman he had believed he would spend the rest of his life wife. Her betrayal, her numerous betrayals had left Thomas reeling, questioning all decisions, wondering why he wasn’t good enough, if he’d ever feel the way he’d felt for Audrey about someone else. She was sorry?

“I don’t think it’s a good idea...” Which it wasn’t, he knew it wasn’t. There were a million reasons why it wasn’t, not counting the fact that Rose would have his head, that Kendall would throw a fit, that he’d just broken up with a perfectly wonderful girl for seemingly no reason at all----there were a million reasons not to listen to her words, but she was intoxicating.

Audrey knew that too. She had captured his attention at a start-of-season event, the year the Magpies won the title. Thomas was often ignored at such parties, but Audrey had sauntered over in a dangerously short black dress and paid him mind. Found him interesting. Thomas had been entranced, overwhelmed, seduced and it had been the best bloody feeling in the world. She’d managed to cloud his mind of all sorts of judgement and when he’d quietly proposed after the cup she had him completely convinced that he was all she would ever need in life.

He should really know better than to believe anything that came out of her mouth.

“One more chance,” she whispered against his lips, her hands having moved around his neck. Thomas felt every bit of him ache for her and when she pressed her mouth against his he didn’t protest. It electrified him, and with a strong arm around her waist he pushed her hard against the wall. She tasted the same, she felt the same, it was the most invigorating thing he’d ever felt. How could he have hesitated?

She muttered something about his room, and it took quite the effort to unlock his door without breaking away from her. Thank Merlin Kirke wasn’t around, his family and in-laws having trekked to Istanbul this past weekend. Thomas kicked the door shut behind him and it was amazing at how quickly they reached the bed. They moved like clockwork, like it had only been yesterday that they had been here last, she knew all the tricks to make him go mad.

Thomas kissed her shoulder and up her neck, reveling in the feel of Audrey’s hands and nails bracing themselves on his shoulder blades. She began to whisper in his ear, forcing his eyes to fall shut.

“I’m going to look so good in your captain’s jersey,” she let out, her leg wrapping around his.

He froze, eyes bursting open at her words. Thomas pulled back, hovering over her near-naked form with an expression of confusion and disbelief. At her or at himself, he didn’t know.

“Get out,” he said brusquely, rolling away from her and off the opposite end of the bed. Audrey gathered up the blanket, looking bewildered.

“What? Thomas!”

“I’m an idiot!” he exclaimed, “You’ve got a type. Brookstanton! Captain. Don’t think I didn’t hear about that Wanderers bloke---captain.” Thomas felt like a complete moron, “And now that you’re stuck with some second-string chaser who couldn’t even start for the Cannons, you want me back. A captain!”

“That’s----” Her lips pressed into a fine line, and Thomas knew he’d caught her. She had taken his reaction to their encounter at New Year’s as a crack, that there was maybe a way to latch herself back onto his arm. Audrey’s confusion shifted into disgust, and she swept herself off the bed, collecting all her clothing. “You deserve me now that you’ve got something to be proud of!”

“I don’t deserve this!” Thomas shouted, coming around the bed. “I deserve better than you! Now get out before I call security and have you arrested for trespassing! Get out!”

Audrey let out a strange sound, as if her comeback decided against coming up her throat. Twisting her top so that it didn’t look too disheveled, she stalked out of the room, the door shutting loudly behind her. Thomas’ breaths were heavy, and he stood, staring at the door as if she were going to burst back in for a few long minutes. Finally he sat back down on his bed, feeling a great stress fall off his shoulders. He felt ashamed that he’d let himself get caught up with her, but as he crawled to the front of the bed for the lie down he desperately needed, he was glad that his sense had not failed him completely this time around.