#shakeaway

On the 2nd Day of Thanktival...

Prompt: Mistletoe

Bill feels like he hasn't been spending much time with Anne lately, and decides to make it up to her

Christopher Marlowe died on 30th May, so the film takes place from late April to early June

When Anne says Bill is 30, she’s rounding up. He’d actually just turned 29 on 23rd April, he may even turn 29 after going to London

Anne is about 36-37

When they got married, Bill was 18 and Anne was 26 and pregnant with Susanna

Susanna turned 10 a few days before Chris was killed on 26th May

This took so long but you are absolutely right, we need some Anne/Gabriel friendship *^* I spent ages trying to decide what do with 🍎, then I got this idea out of nowhere recently and ended up getting a bit carried away. It’s just barely related to the emojis. Enjoy~!

Read on FFN

With a heavy sigh, Gabriel closed the trunk, turned the key in the lock, and stood up. That was it. Everything, or at least almost everything, that she had brought to England was in there. Her old life, tucked away out of sight, and when the dawn came, her new life would begin.

But tonight, she didn’t know how to feel. Between the old and the new, she wasn’t sure where exactly she was standing.

She had shoved the trunk into the corner farthest from the door, where she wouldn’t have to think about it. There was still more than enough space, even with the four poster bed, workbench and chair, and the few other simple items of furniture. The window, with a candle waiting to be lit sitting on its sill, overlooked the yard and stable behind the house. Bill was certainly generous to let her stay with them, and the Earl of Southampton as well for being so willing to give them all a home on top of funding Bill’s work.

And still, Gabriel wondered if she even deserved to be here after all she had done in support of King Philip. Should she have just returned to Spain with the others anyway? Begged for their forgiveness for betraying them? At least she knew who she was there; not herself, but a role she’d been playing for a long, long time…

Her heart sank at the very thought of it.

———

“You alright, love?”

Anne only hummed in response and Bill reached out to touch her hand, finally getting her to look at him. She blinked.

“What?”

“Are you alright? I know this is a big change, it’s a lot to adjust to.”

She shook her head, “Don’t worry about me. I’m more worried about Gabriel, I mean, everything has changed for her. I can’t imagine what this must be like for her and I just…”

Bill couldn’t help but smile softly. As much as he agreed that their new friend was struggling, it warmed his heart to hear Anne speak so kindly about her. Especially when she had been holding her at knife point not so long ago.

“You just…?”

Anne shrugged, “I just wish I knew how to help her.”

“It doesn’t have to take much to make someone feel welcome. The smallest thing could mean the world to her right now, you know?”

“… Has she come downstairs since you showed her to her room?”

Bill frowned and sat up, “I don’t think she has, actually. I’m not sure whether we should leave her alone or not.”

“Hm…”

Anne paused, then looked around the kitchen, lost in thought. Her gaze fell on the window, or, in fact, beyond it, to the yard behind the house. Without a word, she stood and headed for the back door as Bill looked on.

———

Back upstairs, Gabriel took a few minutes to try and arrange what little she had that wasn’t locked up in the trunk around the room.

As she passed by the window, movement outside caught her attention and she stopped. In one corner of the yard stood a large apple tree, and Anne was carefully inspecting its fruits. Gabriel kept watching as she picked a few, then froze when Anne looked up and saw her. She was surprised when she smiled up at her, and even waved. Gabriel hesitantly waved back, then stepped away from the window.

It was odd to think she had assisted in the capture of this woman mere days ago. And what’s more, she had been the one holding her by the wrists, her dagger poised ready to strike, should the need arise.

Why must you look at me like that? she wondered, Like you could forgive me so easily.

———

After some time, a couple of hours, perhaps, if she had to guess, Gabriel had still barely left her room. The moon had risen and the sky was growing dark, and Bill had insisted on the children saying goodnight to her; she wanted so badly to believe their friendly, though tired, smiles but she couldn’t silence the voice in her head that told her they were just being polite. Once he had gotten them to bed, Bill returned to check on her. They talked briefly, and then before he excused himself, he turned to Gabriel.

“Anne’s still downstairs, in the kitchen, by the way. I expect she’ll be done soon, she’ll probably come to say goodnight, as well.”

Gabriel just nodded, already assuming he’d be wrong. She wouldn’t blame her. But sure enough, a few minutes later, the footsteps coming up the stairs detoured towards Gabriel’s room and she heard a light knock at the door.

“Gabriel?”

There she was, just as Bill said. Well, it couldn’t do any harm to simply answer the door. She would only be saying goodnight, after all. Then Gabriel opened the door to find Anne was holding two plates, stacked one on top of the other, in one hand with two slices of freshly baked apple pie, and two forks. Gabriel faltered slightly.

“… Oh…”

“Sorry,” Anne started, “I know you must be feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything, and you probably don’t quite feel comfortable yet being with the whole family, but I wasn’t about to let you go to sleep on an empty stomach. And if you don’t mind, I thought we could perhaps just… chat? A bit?”

“Well, I-” Gabriel was about to decline the offer as politely as she could when she was betrayed by her growling stomach. Anne bit her lip but couldn’t hide her amused smile and Gabriel cringed, “… I suppose that would be nice…” she gave in.

Gabriel kept what she hoped was an acceptable distance between them as she and Anne sat down on the bed with their plates in hand.

“So, how do you like your room? Are you settling in alright?”

“Yes, I think so…” her eyes darted towards the trunk and back, too quickly for Anne to notice, “I didn’t expect to find myself in such luxury, certainly not so soon after giving up so much of my life. Thank you.”

Anne scoffed, “There’s no need for thanks, it’s the least we could do after everything you did for Bi-”

“After everything I did…?” Gabriel muttered bitterly, dropping her plate into her lap before she had even taken a single bite. Anne stopped mid-sentence, struck speechless by the sudden shift in her demeanour. For a moment, Gabriel sat there, her head bowed, her eyes screwed shut, regret etched into her features. Then she looked up again and met Anne’s gaze, “Is this what I deserve after what I did? The last time the two of us were alone together, I was binding your hands behind your back. Threatening you,” her voice was beginning to grow thick with tears, “My orders were to kill you should Bill not…”

Anne wasted no time. She took Gabriel’s plate, and her own, and set them aside, then took her hands. She leaned towards her, her voice somehow both gentle and commanding.

“Gabriel, listen to me,” she may only be a few years older than Gabriel, but her words, and her tone, made her seem a lifetime wiser, “Those may have been your orders, but they were not your intentions. You had no choice in the matter. I don’t blame you for what the king made you do.”

“… You don’t?” Gabriel asked in surprise, her eyes wide.

Anne shook her head and smiled, “Of course not! I was scared, but… I could tell there was something off. Your grip was slightly loose, you were holding your dagger quite low. You could barely even look at me. Or Bill, for that matter.”

She was right.

“I felt like I was betraying him,” she admitted, “I felt more loyal to Bill after a few kind words than I ever felt to Lope or Juan or any of them in years,” she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, I’m glad this was the choice you made.”

“… As am I.”

They shared a warm smile and Anne handed Gabriel her plate back. Their conversation turned to lighter topics until they were finished eating, when Anne seemed to remember something.

“Oh! Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute.”

She hurried out with the plates and Gabriel waited, as she was told to, until Anne returned carrying a bundle of white fabric.

“Here. Until you find the time to make a new one for yourself, because I’m sure you will, you can borrow one of my nightdresses,” she said, handing it to her, “It’s probably a bit long for you, but it should do for a night or two.”

Gabriel stared at the garment for a moment, then at Anne. That was the final straw; she threw herself into Anne’s arms and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you. For all you’ve done for me.”

Oh this idea came to me instantly ok, I just needed the time to actually write it, sorry it took a couple days~

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“Ian won’t dance with me.”

Bill’s first play had come to a close after a successful run, and the entire company, along with Anne and Ian, now filled a tavern, all indulging in the Earl of Southampton’s generosity, which even included hiring Mortal Coil to play for them.

Bill himself had been swept up in all the congratulations and toasts and such, leaving Anne, Gabriel and Ian to themselves. They’d assured him they didn’t mind, it was his party after all, but he was admittedly hoping for a way out now. Which was when he heard that familiar voice and looked up to find that Gabriel had appeared at his side, seemingly from nowhere, wearing a clearly-fake pout and awaiting sympathy. He furrowed his brow.

“What?”

“Ian will not dance with me!” she repeated with a scoff, “He says he is too shy. I say he is just not drunk enough.” She took a sip of her wine as Bill smirked.

“Maybe he’s just not a big drinker?”

Gabriel just huffed. She looked back at Ian and Anne at their table, clearly enjoying their conversation. When they happened to glance over and Ian met her gaze, she smiled coyly and tried to beckon him over. He blushed and bit his lip, but shook his head, turning away. Anne laughed teasingly and nudged his arm. They couldn’t hear what she said to him but both Bill and Gabriel laughed along with her.

“Anyway,” Gabriel said, turning back to Bill, “I thought you might dance with me instead.”

“Asking another woman’s husband to dance?” he gasped in mock surprise, then narrowed his eyes as he smiled, “Well, clearly, you’re drunk enough.”

She laughed and grabbed his hand, placing her drink down, “We’ll make them jealous. Since we are having all the fun ourselves.”

He had wanted to take a break, but he couldn’t say ‘no’ to her; it was her job to be convincing. He let her pull him away and sweep him into the centre of the room, prompting a few other members of the company to join them, though still not Ian or Anne. No, they were more than happy to sit and watch their partners together.

The first proper story to be written in the uni AU…! It took me way too long to figure out exactly what I wanted to do here, and even longer to write it so sorry for the wait. Anyway, my first thought for this was “all-nighter” then as I wrote it, it just kind of went off on its own. I think I tied it back to the emojis in the end *^*

Read on FFN

His laptop, notebook and poetry anthology all lay open on the desk in front of him, his head in his right hand while his left fiddled with his pen idly. He glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen - 20:28 - and sighed before sitting back and rubbing his eyes. He’d texted Anne about ten minutes ago, she shouldn’t be much longer.

Like clockwork, there was a short knock at the door the second it hit half past and Bill spun around in his chair as his girlfriend entered with two takeaway cups in her hands. She held one out to him.

“Brought you your coffee,” she said as she placed it down and stooped to kiss his cheek.

Bill smiled gratefully, “I love you.”

He hardly noticed someone else following behind her until the door clicked shut. Anne tipped her head back towards them as she dropped her bag on the floor.

“I also brought Gabby.”

He finally looked past Anne to Gabrielle.

“And I love you, as well, Gabs.”

She smirked, “And I don’t even have to bribe you with caffeine for it.” Her eyes flickered from Bill to Anne and back playfully, but Anne just rolled her eyes while Bill snickered.

“We’re not here for you two to mess about!” she reminded them, “We’re here to keep you,” she prodded Bill’s shoulder, “On task and not distracted. No-one leaves this room till we all finish our work.”

“Yes, because I would absolutely hate for my girlfriend and my best friend to hang out with me all night. I better get to it,” Bill heaved a sigh, but made no move to turn back to his laptop and books, instead taking a long sip of his drink while staring Anne down. Stifling a laugh, she grabbed the back of his seat and spun him around herself.

“Work!”

For about an hour, the girls successfully stopped Bill from losing momentum, and even made some progress on their own assignments as well; Anne had set up her own laptop on Bill’s bed and Gabrielle was on the floor, sketching designs on her tablet. Until, of course, Bill got bored.

“So…” he started, side-eyeing Gabrielle, “Anyone else thinking this is getting a bit too boring? Why don’t I text Ian, see if he wants to swing by, too?”

Anne stopped and looked up, then furrowed her brow.

“I was gonna say ‘yes’, ‘cause I can actually trust Ian, but… what’s going on there?” she gestured to Gabrielle, who was suddenly staring wide-eyed at Bill. He shrugged, feigning innocence.

“I have no idea.”

But Gabrielle snapped upright immediately, her tablet slipping onto the floor, glaring daggers at Bill, “Do not…!”

This only confused Anne further, “What? Don’t invite Ian? I thought you liked him.”

Bill grinned and nodded, “She does. She absolutely does.”

Gabrielle dropped her face into her hands as Anne’s eyebrows shot up.

“Do you fancy him?”

Gabrielle just groaned in response, while Bill took the opportunity to grab his phone and send a text. When he received Ian’s reply, his devilish smile grew.

“Apparently, he’s got nothing else to do!”

It wasn’t long before Ian had arrived and was sitting down beside Gabrielle.

“Hi,” he said with a small smile, and it was all she could do to just smile back at him. Bill and Anne exchanged a knowing look but neither one said a word. She had really thought they would try to somehow nudge them together. At the very least, she expected Bill to make some kind of “encouraging” comments, but nothing.

She awkwardly shuffled aside to give Ian some space, only for him to end up moving closer minutes later.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice low as he leaned towards her.

“Dress designs,” she showed him her tablet, “I’m trying to bring something of an Elizabethan style to it...” she trailed off as Ian politely looked over her drawings, “It’s... not especially interesting, I know...”

“No, it is,” he said, and Gabrielle was surprised by the sincerity in his tone, and expression when he met her eyes, “I don’t know much about fashion, but I can tell you put a lot of thought into it,” then he paused, turning almost shy, “And you’re quite a good artist, too.”

She had to turn away to try and hide how she was blushing.

“Thank you.”

She eventually managed to calm her nerves enough to actually talk, and soon another hour had passed before they even noticed. Their conversation was only halted when they realised the clacking of the keyboard, the clicking of the mouse and the scratching of a pen on paper had all ceased. Ian and Gabrielle both looked up to see their friends had fallen asleep; Anne was now curled up on Bill’s bed, her laptop half-closed by her feet, while Bill himself was slumped over on his desk.

“Well. I suppose the all-nighter plan failed,” Gabrielle huffed softly, muttering just loud enough for Ian to hear. They shared a look.

The following morning, Bill awoke to find Anne sleeping peacefully, but Gabrielle and Ian were nowhere to be seen. He quickly scanned the room and his eyes eventually landed on his notebook. It lay on the edge of the desk, certainly not where he remembered it being, his pen lying on top of it, next to a note written in the corner of the page in Gabrielle’s handwriting.