in another life || part I || AU
In a tiny English cafe, the noise levels were so constant it almost seemed silent. The low bubble of voices, the occasional hiss of the kettle as drinks were ordered and made, ordered and made. In the far corner, huddled together on a threadbare sofa and grinning as they sipped tea, sat a young couple no more than twenty years old. The man, blonde hair messed up and sticking every which way, had an arm tight around the tiny brunette woman while she leaned her head against his shoulder, the two as close as physically possibly for polite company. Her hand rested lightly on his knee, the other holding a mug of tea to her smiling mouth. The lanky man had his legs stretched out lazily before him, and he inclined his head slightly to whisper something dirty in her ear.
Her laugh bubbled out of her, the hand on his knee lifting up and smacking down sharply. "Ben! You can't say that here." She grinned up at him and he took the opportunity to kiss her quickly on the mouth.
"But I did. And I do want to."
The petite woman went bright red, shifting slightly to nuzzle herself closer to him. "Shut up." With another mouthful of tea, she smiled at him, swallowed, and sighed happily, her head falling back to lean against his shoulder.
It had been almost four years since the Welsh princess and her fiance had escaped from the palace, and about as long since her parents had put out the news that their middle daughter had died tragically in a boating accident. There were only a select handful of people in the world who knew the real truth. The two young lovers had settled down in a small village in the North of England, just below the Scottish border. They lived in a ramshackle cottage in the middle of nowhere, where the nights were always cold and the days not much warmer, but there was no denying how happy they were. It was plain to see in their eyes, in their smiles. Even though they had barely a penny to their names, Ben and Wendy were rich in happiness.
Wendy was whispering something to her now-husband when the doorbell chimed and a gust of wind blew into the cafe, signalling a new customer. Wendy looked up out of curiosity, knowing the majority of folks who lived in the village were at work at this time of the day. It was the kind of village where everyone knew everyone--and everyone's business too. Wendy was fine with that, as long as her new neighbours kept their knowledge of Wendy only to the fake story she'd given them. An average story of two Welsh teenagers who'd moved to England to make it big and ended up settling down somewhere to lead normal lives. Luckily, her neighbours had swallowed the story without too many questions.
Wendy's eyes focused on the young man who walked through the door, pink-cheeked and windswept and pulling a thick scarf from around his neck. Her first thought was: he looks like Ben. Her second: oh shit. I know who that is. Her spine stiffened and the hand on Ben's knee dug into his skin, drawing a cry of "Ow, fuck--"
Wendy shushed him and set her mug down carefully on the table. Turning to Ben with a bright smile on her face, she said quietly, "That man is the Earl of New Zealand. God knows if he'll recognise me now, but I met him a few times as a child. We need to go."
Ben's eyes widened and flew to the other man. "Shit," he whispered. "Come on. Just get up, and walk out." Ben stood and wound his arm around Wendy's waist, before picking up both their coats in his other hand. "Go, go, go!" He whispered, still grinning. Wendy fought the urge to slap him and instead starting walking, making a beeline for the door. In order to reach the exit, they had to walk straight past the Earl stood in the queue. Wendy kept her head down as they brushed right by him, but suddenly, just as she was thinking they'd made it--
"Wendy?"
Wendy collapsed in on herself, but turned to the man with a tight smile. "Not me, sorry."
The man reached out a hand and touched her arm lightly, like he wasn't sure she was there. "Yes it is--you're Wendy Callaghan!"
Ben leaned over and flicked the guy's hand away from her arm. "It's Wendy Howard, sweetheart. And she's leaving now."
Wendy flushed bright red and moved her hand to Ben's, threading her fingers through his and gripping tightly.
"But... you're dead." Sullivan's face was a mess of confusion. Eyebrows pulled down low and a frown firmly set in place.
"Can you keep your fucking voice down? Look--" Wendy looked at Ben desperately. "Come with us. I'll explain."