Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lix Storm was not a soft woman. She was tough, and always ready for a good fight. She wasn’t an easy woman to tame. No, instead she was molded by her experiences, and most of them were terrible. Her carefully constructed armor kept her safe these days. Her memories did not soothe her. They ached and cut away at her heart. From this, she had become just as sharp. She was a razor. She could cut, and therefore she could protect herself. 

She was created by her life, by the battles, crimes, and other atrocities she had experienced with so many fellow war photographers and struggling journalists. 

The only fond memories that she had were of her younger sister, before her mother had turned her into a terrible woman like herself, and of the time spent with Randall Brown. 

Randall was himself a conundrum. It had drawn her to him in the first place. He was a soft man. Granted, he had become a vicious alcoholic due to their shared journey through Spain, all during a war that wasn’t so civil, but he remained soft despite it all. She would never label it as a Civil War. It wasn’t one.

Even so, Randall had a softness to him that was indefinable. He was warm, undeniably so. He loved her through it all. He gave her shelter from the storm. He was the one she loved and called home during those days. Through stuffy, leaky-roofed flats, traps, warzones, and pubs where they celebrated the battles won and forgot about the lives lost for a few precious hours in the evenings. They did it all together, hand-in-hand and supporting one another. He had even saved her life on multiple occasions. 

Randall was careful with her, all these years on. There were too many memories left stale and tasteless between them. It was a bloodbath. He was cautious, perhaps too afraid to be cut and wounded by her. She was sharp glass and he often surveyed the wreckage when she was angry with others or at him, lest he be cut and injured as well in turn. He was trained to be this way. He handled her with caution and hesitation. With heartbreaking clarity, she had realized that she was the one to do this to him. She made him that way. The blame was hers and hers alone. 

Nevertheless, she did as she desired. She had stayed away from him. She valiantly ignored him, all to no avail. He very rarely ever got what he wanted from her, either in the workplace or in their own personal lives, but he had noticed the change in her. He had still wheedled his way into her life again to search for their daughter and she gave in to him. It took time but she had softened ever so slightly, especially since the incident in his office when they had discovered what became of their darling Sophia.

They had both changed. Their lives had been drastically altered that day.

Any ideas that they might have had about her, young and in ponytails, learning to ride a bike and playing with dresses, or older and attending university, had all been shattered. 

She was gone.

There would be no changing that fact. 

So many children had been lost during that time. They were merely a couple (once, so long ago now) in a sea of others who had lost their children, either during battles as young soldiers, or children and families to the Blitz or various other awful things that happened either in the prelude to or during the Second World War. 

Still, though, Lix was not a soft woman. She thought she could be for him. She clung to the hope that he had returned for far more than just locating Sophia. But still, she was not a soft woman. She was rough-edged, hardened by war, her career, and the plethora of experiences she had survived and suffered through. She had sought out men and women, anonymous things who either reminded her of Randall or who were so drastically different that she felt entirely better about the prospect. Nothing could compare to the real thing: Randall himself. She had never found these things in another lover. He was the pinnacle, perhaps because they had loved one another, well and truly. 

Nowadays, sex was just too much work. She couldn’t be bothered. 

In all of this, Randall seemed to be none the wiser. He either kept his feelings so well-hidden or he had simply returned to find Sophia and discovered that he liked being Head of News for The Hour. He stayed, regardless of it all. He hadn’t left.  

He never said a word to her about their working together, being around one another again, and they seemed to fall into a rather similar situation with minimal sleep and overexertion from work. They were wearing themselves thin. It was bound to be tragic if they didn’t eventually get it under control. To be fair, though, it could be said that she saw far more of her flat come nighttime than she ever had before he arrived in London. Perhaps he wasn’t such a terrible influence, after all.

Lix was pulled from her sullen thoughts as a knock came at the open office door. Who she found waiting at the threshold thoroughly surprised her. 

Across the office, Randall was having a rather heated discussion with Bel about the running order of that night’s program. They were, both of them, shocked to hear a commotion down the hall. Stunned, they turned to find Lix being marched out of her office. They led her to the lifts, a security guard following close behind. The BBC higher-ups, as stern and stoic as they usually were, appeared rather distraught as they stepped onto the lift with her. 

Something rather serious was occurring here, and Randall’s mind was in overdrive.

He popped his head out of the office to catch a quick glimpse of Lix. She was nearly in tears. Their eyes met before the lift doors could shut. 

“Randall?” asked Bel. “What in the hell is going on?” 

With his brows drawn together, he turned to glance at his producer. His expression was one that matched hers, both filled with shock and bewilderment. He shook his head in response.

“I haven’t the faintest clue. I’m heading downstairs to find out. You stay here, Miss Rowley.”

Before she had the chance to say anything else, Randall dashed off in the direction of the stairs. He wanted to beat the lift down to the ground floor.

Chapter Text

Randall rushed down each staircase to reach the first floor as fast as his feet would carry him. By the time he reached the final step, he was out of breath and his chest was burning. Panic had come over him along the way. His chest was ready to burst as he gasped for breath. Pushing through the door, he stepped out onto a linoleum floor. 

Lix was being escorted to the front doors and out of Lime Grove’s lobby. 

“Excuse me,” called Randall. “What’s going on here?” 

Lix turned, stunned to the core, as Randall strode their way. 

Stephen Marks, a BBC operator, turned towards him in surprise. He offered a head tilt, beginning to speak as he swiveled to watch Lix. 

“This woman here, although we have never had an issue with her before, has sent a major scoop ITV’s way. King Hussein has asked for help against pressure from Iraq. Very few individuals knew about our paratroopers arriving in Jordan before the fact. All of this you know, of course. However, the news broke last night on ITV’s news program. Miss Storm has obviously spoken with them. We’re sure of it. We’ll be checking the phone records to trace it. We absolutely cannot let this slide.” 

Lix was incredulous. Glancing towards Randall, she fumed. “I have never spoken to anyone from ITV. This is a misunderstanding. My contacts are mine. They must have had their own, someone who spilled the truth and alerted them of what was happening. I’m the Head of the bloody Foreign Desk. Why would I ever jeopardize our position? Why would I sell out my own television program? Do you understand how utterly mad that sounds?” 

Randall, ever the diplomat, stepped forward and raised a hand.

“Miss Storm, please, wait,” he began, opting for a more tactful route. “Do you hear what she’s saying, Mr. Marks? Why on Earth would she ever go behind anyone’s back to collude with ITV? She would gain nothing from it.”

Stephen simmered. He glanced between the pair of them and sighed heavily. 

“All for a possible position at ITV? Perhaps that was why she did it. I’ve never tried to worm my way into the thoughts of a woman. It’s pointless. I have never tried to envision how their minds work. Personally, I wouldn’t want to. This program is overrun with them.”

Them.  

Randall wanted to lamp the bastard with the nearest object. He was a sexist arsehole. Instead, he inhaled slowly and ground out his next words.

“She has done nothing wrong. I’m still the Head of News. We need to look into the matter further. Whoever it was that spoke with ITV, I can assure you that it wasn’t Miss Storm.”

For a moment, Stephen said nothing. He eventually turned to depart, adding, “She’s finished. I’m only carrying out the wishes of those higher than myself. I have no say in the matter. Surely, ITV don’t have their own contacts in the military. One day, maybe. But not yet. If you want my input, I’ll gladly give it. I think she was vying for a new position at ITV, possibly with a better salary. I’ve already said this. Your arguing with me will get you nowhere, Randall. Quiet, now. Good day.”

With that, he left. The other nameless BBC employee and their security guard followed suit. 

Lix threw her arms up in the air. “Bloody wanker… Have Bel pack up my office, would you? I’m no longer allowed in the building.”

He was at loose ends. “Lix, wait. Don’t leave like this. Don’t.”

She scrubbed at her face tiredly. “What would you expect me to do? Honestly, Randall… What would you have me do? I’ve just been fired by the BBC. I’m finished. I’ve given my entire life to this fucking… My entire life, Randall. Everything. All of it. This is what I get in return for that dutiful service? To hell with them. To hell with all of them. I’m a woman. They bloody hate women. God forbid we do a job better than them.”

She pushed the door open to stride off, leaving Randall breathless and filled with rage in the wake of what just took place. 

The receptionist at the front desk had watched the entire exchange. She sat down and said nothing, perhaps too flabbergasted to even speak. 

Randall, for his own part, followed Lix outside. He sprinted after her. 

“Lix, please,” he called. “I’m going to fix this. I promise you, we’ll get to the bottom of it. I won’t let them do this to you.”

Angry tears were welling up in her eyes. She glimpsed his way and huffed. “You can’t fix everything, Randall. You can’t change the world. I know that you want to, but you can’t. You’ve always been this way. That is one thing about you that will never change.”

His steps stuttered and he halted to a stop on the sidewalk. 

“I’m rubbish at fixing anything, Lix. I couldn’t even fix us. It won’t stop me, though. I’ll do my best. I’m going to get to the bottom of this matter. You’ll have your position back soon enough.” 

She couldn’t even look at him, not after a loaded statement like that. She waved over a shoulder. 

“Go back to the office, Randall. Everyone will be searching for you. There’s a broadcast tonight to agonize over. I’m the least of your worries.”

Chapter Text

By the time Randall appeared in the office again, Bel was anxiously awaiting him. She was practically nibbling at her fingers. Her leg was bouncing as she leant against a door in the hall. When she saw him, she bolted in his direction. He was just stepping out of the lift and a long, low exhale tumbled from his lips.

“Mr. Brown, what’s happened?” 

He huffed, curling a finger at her and leading towards her office. 

“Not here, please. There are eyes and ears everywhere. Let’s speak privately on the matter. I’m not entirely sure of who we should or shouldn’t be trusting at the moment.”

Upon arriving, she closed the door behind them. Her eyes were on Randall. “I’m panicking. Tell me everything. You were downstairs for quite a while. I was ready to dash after you.”

Randall was fidgeting, hands curling into fists at his sides to keep from rearranging her entire desk. He turned to glance her way.

“There’s too much happening right now,” he began. “I’m not even sure of where to begin.”

She lit a cigarette, watching as he rubbed at his temple in smooth, circular motions to calm himself. His hands were trembling. A fool would have been able to notice, and she longed to reach out and take his hand. In a few short hours they had to go live on the air. The timing of everything was atrocious. It was wholly overwhelming and the weight of it all was bearing down on her as well.

“Preferably at the start,” she eventually replied. “That’s where I’d rather you began. I find it's always been the easiest route to take.”

He lifted a brow, head tilting as he appraised her. Her fiery nature and the witty retorts never failed to stun him. If anything, she only smiled to relax him. 

“Alright. The operations committee team here at the BBC believes Lix colluded with ITV and willingly gave them information. This is in reference to the scoop they revealed last night on their live program about our paratroopers arriving in Jordan. They shouldn’t have known. They’re blaming Lix for all of it. After all, she is Head of the Foreign Desk. It falls under her purview. They fired her over the matter, marching her to the door and forcing her to leave the building.”

She scoffed. “That’s a heap of… It’s ridiculous. She did no such thing and we know it.”

The Operations Committee delegated authority to provide assurance for delivery of the BBC’s strategic priorities. This covered their television programming. In particular they covered implementation, coordination and delivery of key strategic pan-BBC projects; review and approval of pan-BBC policies on operational and professional service matters; and matters relating to compliance with financial, regulatory and operational obligations, as reported to the Board and its Committees. It was a side of the BBC that held zero interest for a man such as Randall. He was an investigative journalist. He couldn’t have cared less. Instead, he focused on the business of telling and sharing the news of the world. Still, they were a committee that he himself often dealt with. The Board of Directors often came to watch interview recordings which would be used for later programs. 

Randall sat at the table by the door, fingers tapping along the hardwood surface. “I know she didn’t do it. They shut me down when I began arguing her innocence. Apparently the decision was made by the higher-ups to release her. They sent their Director of Strategy and Performance to show her out of the building. She isn’t going to be allowed back in.”

His eyes found Bel as he too lit himself a cigarette. Although he dreaded his next words, he still had to say them. “She’s asked me to have you pack up her office.”

Bel sat beside him, pulling the ashtray over to be within arm’s reach. “I will do no such thing. It won’t be necessary. Soon enough, she’ll be back where she belongs. We need to find out who ran to ITV. In the meantime, however, we have a broadcast tonight.” 

He nodded. “The show must go on.”

Bel watched him for the longest of moments, taking in the slump in his shoulders and the way he leant against her table. He appeared knackered. He needed to rest. He was back to his fidgeting as well, she noted. The stress was eating away at him. 

“With agendas alternating between oversight of strategic projects and assurance on risk, delivery, improvement, and effectiveness, yes, this will be difficult. They have officers at their disposal. It could ruin us. The Operations Committee is known for being hard to cross, especially when the orders come from Board Members here at the BBC itself as well. We certainly have quite a task laid out in front of us, don’t we? I’m not even sure if we can push back, but I’m willing to try anything. You need only say jump. I’ll ask, how high? You know that, Randall. It goes without saying. My loyalty is yours. Lix’s as well, of course.”

They fell silent for the time being. The mood was a pensive one. A load of unbearable thoughts seemed to fill them with trepidation and unease, lingering in the air like the smoke from their cigarettes.  

“In any case, I’m sure she appreciates having you try to step in and defend her,” Bel offered. “She might say that she doesn’t care, but she does. Lix is softer than she cares to admit.”

He chuckled. “She has never needed any defending, but thank you all the same. I tried, at the very least. Miss Storm can be… a bit much, at times. We’ve all had to contend with her bitter and pugnacious temper in the past. I didn’t want her being taken away in handcuffs and tossed into an officer’s vehicle. I had to interject. Only, it didn’t have the intended outcome. As to her being soft, I would have to argue the matter. She’s a tough lass. I would never dare to cross her.”

Bel was nibbling at her lower lip. After a long exhale off of her cigarette some moments later, she found the courage to finally speak her mind. 

“There’s more than meets the eye to the pair of you, I’m sure of it. I’ve never seen you that way before. One look at the scene and you ran off before I could even say another word. Scurrying off to the stairs, chest heaving as you sprinted away.”

His brows rose skyward, a look of sheer surprise at the subject change coming over his expression. He almost chuckled. 

“Believe me, I would do just about anything for our team here. You all matter a great deal to me. You’re quite an investigative journalist, Bel Rowley, but in this you are wrong. There wasn’t anything between us then or now. We were simply comrades during the Spanish Civil War. Make of that what you will. We were friends, although that word feels a bit strong. Fellow war photographers, I should say. Soldiers in a battle of truth, knowledge, and news, shedding light into the darkness. That’s all there is to it. We were together on the front lines. There wasn’t much time for anything else.”

She shook her head. “You’re a liar, and you know it. Worse, I know it as well. You aren’t fooling anyone. Either way, we’re going to solve this mystery. Someone here in the office must have done it.”

His eyes met hers and his head tilted thoughtfully. “What if… Perhaps it wasn’t someone in the office at all. Miss Storm has contacts everywhere, all over. She must have known. There might have been someone she was speaking with about the current political climate in Jordan. A military contact, even. Perhaps it wasn’t someone affiliated with the BBC, after all. Maybe it was one of her contacts that committed the act.” 

She stubbed out the end of her cigarette in the glass ashtray, expression gone dark and filled with rage. She huffed and said, “I need to get Freddie. Hector, Isaac, and Sissy as well. We need to tell everyone what’s going on. No one else, though. Like you said, I’m not entirely sure of who we can trust, either. To hell with everyone else for the time being.” 

Randall immediately stood. “No, not right now. Everyone is preparing to go live on the air. We have to wait. We’ll tell them after. Should it come to it, I’ll take on Lix’s workload for the next week. Until she’s back, we’ll pick up the slack however we can.”

Chapter Text

When the show went live, everyone settled in the production control room to listen. Bel had the team working their cameras, giving them direction and insight as always. She excelled at her job. More than that, to be fair. 

The program went smoothly. After a particular bumper, which was just an element that acted as a transition to or from commercial breaks, Isaac turned to Randall to speak. 

“Where is Lix? She should have been here by now. She’s missing the broadcast.”

Randall’s gaze fell to Bel. He should have anticipated these questions being asked, but he hadn’t quite gotten this far yet. His mind was tired. Mercifully, Bel spoke first. 

“We have some things to discuss later. Let’s just get through the program beforehand. We’re almost finished here.” 

Randall cleared his throat. “Everyone needs to gather in my office after we go off the air.”

There were no crashes, thank heavens. Occasionally, it happened. It was when an announcement, jingle, or graphic overlapped with a fixed point in the schedule — for instance, the news or a time signal. It was usually due to poor timing. The BBC had been having some issues as of late. At the end, as the crossfade began, Randall allowed himself a deep breath. Crossfades were a technique where a music producer or engineer faded out the outgoing track at the same time as fading in the new track. In this case, the outro music played and eventually faded into a commercial’s music. 

The broadcast of their program ended, and Randall waited until the lights were switched off in the studio before turning to Bel. She lingered by his side, allowing them a moment to breathe before the madness began. 

“Can we do this?” asked Bel, her eyes finding him.

He nodded. “We can and will do anything that’s in our power to do, Bel.”

The use of her first name only served to ground her. It wasn’t a rarity, per se, but it was only ever said in private. He was a picture of perfect professional courtesy. The tone of his voice had left her winded and filled with warmth. Friendship was a beautiful thing. Whatever was happening here had brought them closer. To be fair, since Freddie’s beating and the near-death experience he had gone through, they had grown closer. He helped her through it all. He was the steady, stoic presence in her life, never once letting the BBC remove her as producer and bring in a man who could barely handle the job. He held fast. He protected and supported her through it. 

Together, Randall and Bel left the control room and descended the staircase to the ground floor. Freddie was chatting with Isaac, concern visible in his eyes as he brushed his hair away from his forehead and worried away at the strands. 

Everyone gathered in Randall’s office. For the time being, Randall was useless. He fidgeted and counted the books on the shelf, eyes immediately drawn to an empty spot. A copy of Dickens normally sat there. Of course, he remembered. Lix must have “borrowed” it from him. He ignored the pang that went straight to his heart. This situation was unbearable. 

Bel gave the news, telling everyone what was going on to the best of her ability. Somehow, Freddie, Hector, Isaac, and Sissy had all missed the commotion earlier. No one else had been around at that particular time. Hector had been meeting a contact, along with Freddie, and Sissy had left for lunch with her husband, Sey. Isaac had been in the filing room searching for paperwork that Freddie required. They had all been too busy. 

“We need to play this safely and carefully,” added Randall. Bel had already explained the finer details of the situation and he felt it was necessary to add this. 

“If someone in our midst is playing hard to get, if they just so happen to be someone who doesn’t want to be caught, we need to keep this information between ourselves. Particularly you both.” 

Randall nodded to Bel and Sissy to further the point. 

“You, Miss Rowley and Mrs. OIa. You’re women. Let’s not lose any more women to the Board. Clearly, they lack any morals and scruples. Has no one told them it’s nearly 1960? Jesus… Women work harder than men, twice as hard, in fact, and get a quarter of the credit, if they even receive that. Miss Storm was a casualty that we could not afford. In the meantime, I’ll be doing my best to fill the hole that her absence has left us with. I might be the Head of News, but I can still help you all in this endeavor. We’ll get Miss Storm back, it’s just a question of how and when. We need to locate the leak, if there is one, and put an end to this ridiculous mess.” 

Bel, for the first time that day, allowed herself a smile. Randall was a maverick. He stood out from all of the rest. He was a man existing in a world where he had never fit in before, and certainly didn’t now. Women, men, individuals of varying cultures and skin tones — they were all equals in the eyes of this man. She wished everyone else viewed life in the optical lens of a microscope the way he did. To break it down even further, they were all created from the same atoms. It shouldn’t have mattered. Humans were flesh and blood, despite their differences. If only bigotry didn't exist in the world. 

“Hear, hear. Well said. Goodnight, everyone. Go home. Please, get some rest. We will solve this. We’ll look back on this moment next year and chuckle at the idiocy that occurred here. Lix will be back soon enough.”

Chapter Text

The following day was Saturday. Randall showed up unannounced at Lix’s home, knocking gently at her flat door. He counted the seconds, already regretting the decision to come. When the door was opened, he inhaled and waited.  

“What are you even doing here?”

Randall sighed. “What do you expect?”

She stepped aside to allow him entry. She wouldn’t let herself think about what the comfortable clutter in her home would do to him. His mind would be sent into overdrive. As it was, his fingers were already twitching. 

“I’m here for you,” he began. “Where else would I be? I spoke to the team last night. They’re aware of the situation. We’re going to solve this mystery.”

Lix was in the midst of lighting herself a cigarette and her eyes met his. “I accused you of wanting to change the world yesterday, Randall. Some things you can’t fix. Whatever has happened must be something big. They’ve painted me out to be the culprit. You can’t fight this.”

His head tilted. “Lix Storm, so easily defeated... There’s a sight I’ve never seen before.”

The familiarity in his tone had a noise crawling up her throat, one borne of aggravation and exhaustion. Her head snapped in his direction. 

“Defeated? Is that what you think I am? I’ve accepted my fate, Randall. I’m not sure what I’m even meant to do with myself now. They’re finished with me. Mr. Marks said so himself. I’m done. So, come on, what would you have me do?”

He was playing with the brim of his hat, slow and soothing motions that served to calm him. She spied him for a moment and simply huffed a sigh. 

“I would ask you not to give up so easily,” he said. “We have a plan, Miss Rowley and I. We aren’t going to give up on you. You might as well follow suit. Buck up, darling.”

She chuckled. “Why does it even matter? I have more important things to worry about. I spent the night agonizing over how I’ll afford this month’s rent. I’ve just lost my peace, security, and career. I won’t have the money to live.”

Randall placed his hat down on her table, shrugging out of his dark overcoat. “Simple: I’ll lend you the money. This doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out affair. Let’s not make it one.”

She very nearly commented on how they had once had a long and drawn-out affair but she held her tongue. Instead, she turned to him with raised brows. “I’m sorry? You’ll do what?”

Randall almost laughed. “I said that I’ll lend you the rent money. I won’t have my Head of the Foreign Desk living on the streets. You can return the money at a later date. I’m in no hurry. I’m going to get you your position back at The Hour and things are going to be alright in the end. Won’t you just believe in me for once?” 

Suddenly it was Spain, the weather was humid and sticky, and she was looking into the eyes of a much younger Randall. He was there on the threshold of her leaky, one-room flat, gazing at her with all of the love in the world, and a question was poised and ready at the tip of his tongue. Finally, he spoke it into existence. “Won’t you just believe in me? In us?”

It ached to remember. Then again, it ached to forget.

“The Hour cannot run without you. You’re an integral part of the mechanism. Without you, it will stutter to a stop. The engine won’t run. We need you. Do you hear what I’m saying to you, Lix?”

She exhaled a plume of smoke. All at once it was rainy London again, his face staring back at her. His words registered somewhere in her mind. She shook her head as if to rid herself of the memories that plagued her. 

“Yes, yes, I do. I’m quite in agreement with you. But this is a problem that I have no solution for, Randall. We cannot just barge into the Board of Directors’ weekly meeting and announce any of this. My return needs to happen after whoever has done this is caught.”

For a brief moment, something of a smile touched his lips. It was the ghost of one, anyway. His eyes softened as he glanced her way.

“There we are. That’s a start. Now you sound like the Lix Storm I know.”

The depth to which his voice had sunk, coupled with the tenderness in his eyes, did something to her. It touched a place deep within her that she had long since refused to acknowledge. A feeling was born — or rather, reborn — and she released the softest of sighs. 

“Randall, don’t,” she pleaded. “Don’t look at me that way. Don’t speak to me with that tone of voice, you knob. It makes me think of twenty years ago and hot, humid Madrid. Tiny flats, pubs, alleyways. Hand in hand, surviving together. I can’t. It reminds me of days long gone. This is hard enough for me.”

It was such a monumental confession that it left him stunned to the core. He was floored for a moment. It was the first time she had ever really mentioned it, or mentioned them.

Breathless, he asked, “Tell me. Be honest with me, Lix. Why does that have to be something negative?”

It would seem that he had found his courage. The words, as they left his lips, poured out with emotion. He stared at her without reservation. There was hope in his expression.

She inhaled sharply. “Because it is. I have no time for love in my life. I never have. You wormed your way into my heart twenty years ago, albeit the affair we somehow survived had been my fault from the very start, but I don’t have the time for any of it again. None of this, your returning to London or your search for our daughter, was ever my choice. I told you once... You woke me up. You did it all without contacting me. You never wrote to me. You just showed up in my world, my city, and began working here.”

He watched Lix pinch the bridge of her nose. She heaved a deep sigh, exhaustion evident in her stature, and continued speaking.

“While I’m not exactly sorry for any of it, that is just the truth of it. I never had a choice. You took that away from me. You could have searched for her alone. You did give me that choice. But I couldn’t let you do it all alone. She was ours. She was the only mistake we hadn’t made, Randall. She was so beautiful. We haven’t even talked things over since that day in your office.”

She stubbed out the end of her cigarette in a nearby ashtray, eyes cutting to him after. He was as still as a statue, simply listening to her and waiting.

“There’s so much more to this story. The book’s been reopened. I’m struggling to close it again, if I’m even able to at this point. I did it years ago, and of course, yes, that was a difficult time in my life, but it feels as if it’s an impossible task now. You’re the father of my child. Sophia might be gone, but the memory of her will always be with me. You’ll always be a part of me, same as her.”

There were tears in his eyes but he couldn’t move. He felt rooted to the spot. 

“We ended things on the worst of terms, Randall. It’s true. You left for the front lines, and I stayed. You had to go, but the timing was miserable. It wasn’t easy to go on. I had to. And here you are again… Only it isn’t war-torn Spain, it’s rainy, miserable London and it’s twenty years later. You’re back in my life again. I know why you came back. I know. But I had this hope… I let myself hope that it was for more. It was terrible of me.”

She reached up to run her fingers through her hair. Her eyes found Randall. It was only a look but it was the most honesty she had ever given him. He was rocked to the core by the truth of it all and by that look. She would always reduce him to this, to mere atoms, fumbling statements, fussing, and heartache, to the very idea that he was nothing more than a man who loved a woman and it was never in the cards for them. They could have been more, only it hadn’t worked out as they planned so many years ago. They weren’t so lucky. 

“We can’t do this, Randall. You’re here in my flat, in my home, and you’re looking at me that way again… I’m such a coward. I can admit it. So, just you stop it right now. Halt right there. Not another word from you, please.”

Randall reached for his coat and hat without another thought. His face was a snapshot of surprise, ache, and anguish. That image would surely never leave her.

“I wasn’t sure if I would ever be ready for this conversation,” he began. “Apparently, that day has finally arrived. Things haven’t gone the way that I had hoped. I understand it all better now. Perhaps we both had hope for something more between us. I thought you knew why I came. Sophia was only a mere part of the puzzle for me. It’s terrible, isn’t it? Hope: it can be such a wonderful thing, or it can be a miserable burden. It can destroy you, if you let it. I came to London with a seed of hope. I planted it and let it grow. So much time has passed since my untimely arrival here in London, and that hope has nearly destroyed me. You, however, are no coward, Alexis Storm. Never let me hear you say those words again.”

He huffed a soft sigh, slipping into his overcoat and hat whilst speaking. 

”In any case, I’ll just be on my way.”

He paused for a moment and glanced her way. He was baring his soul to her. It was a feeling that had him on the verge of craving whisky and a crowded pub. He wouldn’t do that, though, despite the temptation. He simply couldn’t.

“Listen, Lix… You’ll be back with us in no time. I’ll make good on that promise as well. I’ll lend you the quid. You needn’t worry.” 

He left without another word, valiantly glancing away and pretending not to notice the way tears began to fall and her hand rose to her mouth. It curled into a fist, as if to will herself to be stronger, to be better at this in a way they never had been before.

Chapter Text

Come Monday, the office was quieter than usual. The absence of their Head of the Foreign Desk was felt by all. Bel sought out Randall with Freddie at her side. They met him by his office door after he returned from a meeting. 

Randall’s eyebrows rose expectantly and he nodded to his office for the required privacy. 

Inside they went, closing the door behind them. For a moment, Bel watched as Randall set his planner down, fanning the pages out and placing it beside his cigarette case on the desktop. It seemed to calm him, and she didn’t mind waiting. 

“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” began Bel. “Really, Randall, it makes a lot of sense. I talked things over with Freddie. I’m beginning to think that one of Lix’s contacts betrayed her.”

He turned towards the pair, eyes resting on Bel for the moment. “Are you?”

Freddie’s hands slipped into his pockets as he added, “We both do. That means we have to go through her various contacts to find our Judas.”

Randall nodded. “Yes, of course. That would be the next step in the process.”

For a moment, Bel eyed Randall. Something was off about him, yet she couldn’t quite put her finger on whatever it was. He wasn’t himself. He was tense. She could tell by the set of his shoulders, by the frown on his lips. He was distracted today in the worst way.

“Freddie, would you give us a minute?” Bel’s gaze found Freddie, the man’s eyebrow arching. 

Without another word, Freddie squeezed Bel’s hand and departed from the room. He closed the door gently behind himself. The soft click echoed around the room. 

Once they were left alone, Bel sat on the sofa by his bookshelf. Her eyes found the windows, listening to the soft rain as it pelted the panes of glass. She waited for him to speak. 

“What is it, then?” 

His voice was soft, hushed. He was sitting behind his desk now, posture far too stiff. A hand rose to light himself a cigarette. 

“What’s wrong?” asked Bel. “Something clearly is. Don’t even bother trying to deny it. I know you far too well for any excuses you might give me.”

After a long inhale, Randall released a plume of wispy smoke and cleared his throat. 

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

She stood, wandering towards his desk. “Too late. I’m already here, and I’m already worrying. I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on. Is this about Lix? What’s happened?”

The tenderness in her eyes took him by surprise, although it shouldn’t have. She was a loving creature at heart. She had grown to care for him. The fact that anyone could care for him was something that always shocked him to the core. 

“I can’t,” he choked out. “It’s nothing that concerns you, I promise. It has absolutely nothing to do with this place or our program. It’s personal. I’ll be fine.”

She came to rest against the corner of his desk, invading his personal space. Having the desk between them had been a shield of sorts. It was safety. That protective layer was now gone. 

“You know all about my personal life,” she confessed. “You were there for me after Freddie’s beating. You saved me, really. I do mean that. You and Lix both did, to be fair. You brought me to the hospital, the pair of you, and you stayed by my side the entire night. You refused to leave, even when I told you that it wasn’t necessary. Why can’t we discuss your personal life? Aren’t we friends?”

He pulled a face. It softened into a warm smile and a chuckle tumbled from his lips sometime later. “Your personal life… That reminds me of the office party we had a few months ago in honor of your birthday. Your mother wouldn’t stop flirting with me, no matter what I said or did. She’s insatiable. Her hands were rather… grabby as well.”

Bel laughed. “She is. I’m still sorry about that, you know. She sees a handsome face and an expensive suit and it’s off to the races. You were helpless, I will say. A bit hopeless, too. Lix came to your rescue, though, as did I. Speaking of… This isn’t about Lix, is it? I won’t let you change the subject that easily, in case you were attempting it.”

His eyes moved her way and he sighed.

“Maybe. Maybe, I was. Still, though, it came to mind for me. Why does any of this matter?”

She reached out to brush a hand over his arm, finally deciding to cross that carefully-laid line between them. It was a gentle touch, her eyes warm and caring.

“It matters because I genuinely consider you my friend, Randall. What happened over the weekend?” 

He crumbled beneath that touch. Slipping his glasses from his nose, he rubbed at his tired eyes. He was knackered and it was more than obvious. Her heart broke for him.

“It’s all just a bit too… fresh right now, Bel. I can’t. Some other time, please.” 

She squeezed his shoulder as if to offer him a bit of her strength before drawing away. 

“That’s alright. It’s okay. Let’s just start with getting her back to Lime Grove, yeah? That’ll be the first step. If you ever need a friend, though, you know I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. That’s a promise.” 

He swallowed the lump in his throat and fought to keep his tears at bay. “Yes, thank you. Let’s look through those contacts of hers. Call Miss Storm. Ask her what’s been going on as of late and who she’s been regularly speaking to. I’m afraid we’re rather at a loss here.”

Nodding her head, Bel rose from the corner of his mahogany desk. “Yes, will do. How are you getting on with her workload, by the way? Is it harder than you expected?”

Randall chuckled. “No, it isn’t. It’s the work I was involved in before ever becoming Head of News for the Paris Bureau. I’ve only returned to the grueling workload with an all new appreciation for it all, what with everything that’s currently happening in the world. Miss Storm earns her salary, believe me. You all do. I have a few stories ready to go, depending on how the news-week will turn out.”

Bel wandered across the office, eyes admiring his bookshelves and the collection he took pride in. She made it to the door before responding.

“I can imagine. You were, and are, quite the journalist. It’s like riding a bicycle. It always returns to you.”

Chapter Text

Lix was nursing her wounds at home, blissfully unaware of the conversation taking place between Bel and Randall back at Lime Grove. She was sitting by the fireplace, a drink in hand. Admittedly, she had cut down significantly on any drinking in the past year or so, but today was a day that called for it. 

In front of her was a ridiculous photo of her and Randall, one taken twenty years ago by a close friend and one of their comrades. Her name was Alyssa, and they still kept in contact after all of these long years. She saw Randall from time to time as well. She never failed to mention it. After the photograph had been developed in Spain, she had given it to Lix. Even after all of these years, she kept it. It sat in a frame on her mantelpiece. 

In the picture, they were sitting in a corner of their usual pub in Madrid. Randall’s arm was around her shoulder. They were gazing at each other like no one else was in the room. He obviously said something rather comedic because she was laughing with her hand covering her mouth. They were silly. Beneath the table, though, she knew their ankles were locked. His hand was either resting on her thigh or entwined with her own. They were always touching, no matter the situation or location. It was intimate. It was the connection that they had always needed.

Even now, she could feel heat pool in her stomach at the very thought. 

That photograph had always been one that was special to her.

They came so close to something on Saturday. She had been too cowardly to take that last and final step, though. She had called herself out on it as well. 

Setting her glass down on the table beside the picture frame, Lix groaned and scrubbed at her face with tired hands. She had barely slept the previous night and it left her fatigued and aggravated. 

A knock came at the door and her head whipped around to glance in its direction.

It was the middle of the day. Who on earth could that be? 

Hoisting herself up from the chair by the hearth, she wandered across the room to answer the door. She half-expected it to be Randall. However, it wasn’t. 

On the other side of the threshold was Marnie Madden. She came bearing gifts as well. There was a bakery box in her hands. 

“Can I please come in?” 

Lix laughed softly and stepped aside. “Of course, Marnie. Come in.”

Letting the younger woman into her home, she then asked, “Might I inquire as to why you’re here? I hope Hector won’t find himself in a spot of trouble because you’re in a traitor’s home.”

Marnie shook her head. “Absolute rubbish, all of it. You’re no traitor to the BBC. Speaking of Hector, actually… I had him look up your home address for me. He didn’t know it. He had to ask Bel. I wanted to come by and see how you were getting on. Everyone’s so worried about you.”

Lix deflated. “You’re very sweet. Thank you for doing this.”

She set the box of goodies down on the table. “I couldn’t help myself. I baked you some rolls and sweets. There are a few pastries in there. For… breakfast, maybe. They pair well with coffee. Black coffee, though. It brings out the flavors. I know you like cinnamon.”

Lix laughed softly. “You really should have your very own cookbook, you know. Thank you.”

Her head tilted as she glanced Lix’s way. “I’ve thought about it, you know. I might just do it. Things have been incredibly busy with Amelia. Speaking of, she’s at her grandparents’ house today. I thought it would be better if I came alone.”

She never could have known but there was a pang of ache that went straight to Lix’s heart. Still, though, she was incredibly happy for Marnie and Hector. After everything they had gone through, they deserved this. Hector had become a new man. He was different. 

“Thank you for coming by,” Lix eventually said. “Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee? A drink, maybe? I’m sorry to say that all I have is whisky on hand.”

Marnie waved a hand. “Don’t you worry about me. Some tea would be nice, though. I don’t want to be a bother. I just had to see you. Hector says that they’ve made a development. He phoned me earlier from the office.”

Nodding her head, Lix wandered to the stovetop. She put the kettle on for tea as she spoke. 

“Yes, yes, apparently they have. Bel rang me a short while ago. She needed to know who I’ve been in contact with lately. We’ve narrowed it down to a few possible suspects, I should think. I helped her with anything I could. It’s hard, not being there. I can only do so much from home.”

Marnie, sitting down now, eyed Lix. “Of course. I’m sure it’s very difficult. You will be back soon, though. I believe in the group. If anyone can solve the mystery, you know, it’s them.”

Not ten minutes later and they were settling in the living room area. Marnie sipped at her tea whilst Lix nursed her tumbler of whisky. 

“You have such a cozy home,” Marnie said with a smile. Her eyes came to rest on the hearth for a moment. “It’s peaceful, and in a good end of town. This area’s safe. I’m glad. I would hate the thought of you coming home at all hours of the night if things were even slightly dangerous.”

Lix sighed, relaxing now that Marnie was here. She had been a bundle of nerves and anxiety for a few days. This was a nice change of pace for her. 

“I feel the same way. I like it. I have a wonderful garden as well. It’s very pretty in the summer.”

Marnie’s eyes caught sight of the picture frame. It was lying down on the table, as if it had been placed there earlier in the day. Ever so gently, she reached out for it. 

All at once, panic rose for Lix. She inhaled a sharp breath but it was too late. Marnie was eyeing the photograph and her head tilted. “Is this…?”

Lix resisted the urge to rub at her eyes. “It’s usually on the mantel. I was doing some redecorating. I’m home now, so I have the time.”

It was a tiny white lie. Marnie never picked up on it. 

Instead of commenting on that particular comeback, Marnie began her light interrogation. 

“Yes, but… That’s Randall, isn’t it? I would recognize that face anywhere. He was quite a looker, wasn’t he? Rather dashing with that blonde hair, all curly and wild. Mind you, he’s still a handsome man. He’s more… buttoned up these days, though, I dare say. Were you two…?”

Lix set her whisky aside, absolutely dreading this conversation. 

“Lovers? I… It was a lifetime ago.”

There was no point in denying it now. Marnie was no fool. 

Marnie raised a brow over at Lix. “If it’s a secret in the office, then it’s one you’ve hidden rather well. You barely even look at each other twice during the birthday or holiday-do’s you’ve had. Here you are, in each other’s arms… I suppose things hadn’t worked out, in the end. I’m sorry to hear it. You were a rather smart couple.”

After clearing her throat softly, Lix ran a hand through the curls at the nape of her neck. 

“We don’t always get our happy endings, Marnie. I’m just relieved that you have yours.”

Marnie sipped at her tea after setting the picture frame down. Lix watched her, heart in her throat. This was a secret that so few knew about. 

“Thank you, Lix. But you’re working together again,” said Marnie. “How has that been?” 

Lix laughed. “Complicated. Messy. We’re muddling through.” 

After setting her tea cup aside, Marnie reached for Lix’s hand. She squeezed her fingers, nothing less than warmth and affection in her eyes. 

“If it’s complicated, then perhaps things aren’t quite over between you two. I think we all deserve a happy ending, as you put it. Would that be something worth pursuing?” 

Lix froze. She hadn’t been expecting that.

Marnie only smiled. “Just think about it. I don’t know the situation. I haven’t a single clue as to how you began, how you ended, or how he wound up in London again and working with you for The Hour. Still, though, it happened. He’s back. He’s been back for a while now. Maybe you should see where things will go. It can’t hurt to try, can it?”

There was a lump in Lix’s throat. She attempted to swallow it, only her voice wouldn’t return to her. 

“Nevertheless,” Marnie continued. “You will be back at The Hour soon enough. Bel, Freddie, Hector, the entire group… They will get you your job back. Everything is going to be okay. I just wanted to come by and see you. Your secrets are safe with me, and that’s a promise.”

Lix had a mind enough to squeeze Marnie’s fingers in response. “Thank you. I trust them. I know that they’ll find out who leaked the information. They’ll rectify the situation.”

Chapter Text

The following day, Randall found Hector and Bel in the latter’s office. He closed the door gently to announce his presence before speaking. 

“Right,” began Randall. “I have a plan. It’s something of a plan, anyhow. Mr. Madden, go round everyone up. We’ll need the team here for this conversation.” 

After Hector had left, Bel turned to Randall with a breathless expression. 

“One question,” she said. “Will I be angry, flabbergasted, or upset?” 

He chuckled. “Astounded, I believe. Just give me a moment. Wait for everyone to join us. I promise, I’m not about to leave you depressed, on the floor, or anxiety-ridden.” 

Not ten minutes later, with Bel’s office filled with the usual suspects, he lit himself a cigarette and took a long drag. With a heavy sigh, he glanced around at everyone and spoke. 

“I’m going to threaten to leave for Paris,” began Randall, voice deadly serious. “This will only work in our favor if we all intimidate the Board. We will need to be very careful about this. We don’t yet know who betrayed her, which contact it was, but we can still do this in the meantime. It will hopefully buy us some more time in our investigation as well.” 

As he had previously stated, Bel was shocked. Her eyebrows rose. “You’re insinuating that we frighten them into bringing Lix back?”

Randall nodded. “Yes.” 

Hector, for his own part, was stunned to the core. “Do you really think that it will work?”

Sissy took a seat at the table in the corner of the office. “My voice might not carry very much weight around here, and I know that, but at this point… Randall’s right, and anything is worth a try. If it’s the best idea that we have, we owe it to Miss Storm to at least try for her.” 

Randall turned to her, expression solemn. “It’s true. They’ve bullied us into compliance in the past. I simply won’t stand for it. I cannot carry the load, doing her work whilst also managing this program. For now, it’s alright. I can do it. But what would we do long-term? Needs must. Miss Storm is required.” 

A soft smile found Bel’s lips as she glanced Randall’s way. “You’re a rebel at the very core. Don’t think that we haven't learned this about you already. You won’t let them push us around.” 

It was only a quirk of the lip but it told Bel everything she needed to know. Randall didn’t smile much in the workplace. Signs with him were far more subtle. 

“Perhaps,” he later replied. “At any rate, we’ll need to be careful about this.” 

Hector rubbed at his face. “I’ll go first. I’ll speak up first.” 

Randall’s eyebrows rose. “Would you? No, no. We need to be smart about this. You almost defected to ITV before, so it won’t come as a surprise to them. You’ll be in the mix, but you shouldn’t speak first. I’ll be the first one. It’ll frighten them. It’s poignant. They won’t want to let me go. Bel will be next. Then Freddie. How does that sound?”

Freddie leant back against Bel’s desk, cigarette in hand as he watched everyone. “It’s risky, but we have to try.” 

A knackered sigh tumbled unbidden from Bel's lips and she rolled her eyes. “You’ve never had a problem with taking risks before, have you? It’s in your very nature.” 

Randall chuckled as he glanced towards the pair. “You constantly remind me of a young man I once knew, Mr. Lyon,” he said, subtly referring to himself. 

“I dare say that you should think more highly of yourself,” Freddie began. “You haven’t changed as much as you might think. Let me know what the Board says, would you?” 

Later, as everyone poured out of her office, Bel stopped Randall with a gentle hand. He sucked in a quick, fortifying breath before nudging the door shut. The soft and resounding click left him stunned to the core. 

“Have you spoken to her? I have, but it was only for business reasons. I asked about her contacts, as you know.” 

Bel’s question stunned him. “I have. I’ve spoken to her.” 

Her eyebrows went skyward and shuddering breath fell from her lips. “You have? And? What else? You were in a state the other day.” 

“Aside from anything personal, because I can’t and won’t do that to you, she sounded rather convinced that she won’t be returning. I told her not to worry. She’s concerned about money, of course, which is only natural. I also told her that I wouldn’t mind lending her whatever’s needed to help her through.”

Bel sipped at her cooling cup of tea. “Bloody hell… Alright, I can appreciate that. By the way, Hector told me that Marnie paid her a visit yesterday.” 

He made a soft sound, all at once intrigued and comforted. “Good.” 

“We’re going to fix this, Randall. We can do this. I believe in this team. Without Lix, something integral is missing. We can get her back.” 

His back was far too stiff. His stature appeared painful. He obviously hadn’t been sleeping very well and it was plain to see. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose, eyes resting on her carpeted floor, as he responded.  

“I certainly hope so. Your faith in us will have to be enough.”

Chapter Text

By the time Randall returned home that evening, the sky had opened right up and it was pouring down torrential rain from the heavens. Weather so violent was quite a rarity for London. He was the lucky victim to step out into a rainstorm. 

Randall turned the lights on in the small kitchenette and made himself a cup of tea, his thoughts elsewhere. After finishing it, he wandered into the cozy, contemporary bedroom area and began to disrobe. He took a hot shower to warm himself, still feeling chilled to the bone. Just as he was stepping out of the en suite, however, his telephone began to ring. 

Jogging over to the desk in his room, he quickly answered it. 

“Randall Brown speaking,” he said into the receiver, curious as to who would call so late in the evening. 

There was a crackle and a pause before a reply came. 

“It’s me, Bel. Sorry for phoning you so late in the evening. I found our turncoat. His name is Jonathan Eades. Lix made calls to him at least twice a week, she said. He was one of only four contacts she had in Jordan. I have her notes here in front of me. I've learned, after reading through everything, that he was the only one who knew about our paratroopers arriving in Jordan.”

Randall shifted to sit at the edge of his bed, quickly shrugging on a nightshirt as Bel continued.

“She couldn’t remember offhand if he was the only one he knew out of the entire group of contacts,” she said. “As it turns out, he was. We have our man.” 

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Randall huffed in exhaustion. “Good. You’ve found him.”

For a moment, in the background, he heard Freddie speaking. A moment passed, something dropped onto a linoleum floor, and she responded as he continued shrugging into nightclothes.

“One more thing before you go, Randall. Don’t you threaten the Board just yet. We need to bring this to their attention first. Perhaps this is the thing that will make them see the truth. There might not be a need for intimidation, after all.”

He slipped his glasses back on his nose, towel tossed over his shoulder. “That would be too easy, but I’ll hope for the best. I’ll bring this to their attention in the morning. Get some sleep. I’ll come by your office first thing, I promise.”

Bel’s sigh was one borne of relief. “Alright, thank you. Goodnight, Randall. Sleep well.” 

Even after the phone had disconnected, Randall sat and stared for a moment. It was quite a revelation. He placed the phone back in its spot and continued with his nighttime routine, eventually turning the corner of his covers back at a perfect triangular angle. He slipped into bed and placed his glasses on the nightstand at exactly ninety degrees to the book resting on the surface.

Turning his head on the pillow, he took note of the empty spot beside him. Never had his bed ever felt so empty before. Lix could have been lying beside him. She could have been curled close to him, her head resting on his chest. So many times in the past they could have made a different decision. They could have taken that final step. They were so close to crossing that line in the sand. 

When that conversation had taken place in her home, he could have spoken up. He might have told her to take a chance on him, or argued that they were worth it. Their happiness was more than worth the risk. He could have kissed her, held her, and tried to show her just how worthwhile it could be. 

Instead, he said goodnight and left. 

Perhaps he was the coward in all of this, not her. That was the depressing reality of it all.

Chapter Text

The office was unusually quiet that morning. Randall had far too much on his mind. He met with Bel before having his morning coffee, closing the office door to afford them some much-needed privacy. She handed him the notes he would need, the information that he required as proof for the Board, and began speaking.

“This is everything,” she told him, expression stern and void of any emotion or tell. She was strong and he more than welcomed it. He could certainly use some of that bravery and attitude at the moment. 

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll go and speak with them now. Stay here.”

After heading upstairs, he found himself standing by the door that led to the Board of Directors reception office. There was a lump in his throat. For the first time in his life, he was questioning his abilities. 

A few officers from the production studio, which was designed for acoustically dead small drama, walked by. They were chatting about their next broadcast and paid him no mind. They were far too occupied. Randall’s back pressed to the wall and he heaved a great sigh. 

“Damn it all,” he mumbled, then pushed the door open. It was time for action, for probing and cross-examining, for authority. He couldn’t do this right now. He had to be brave and unyielding. 

Stepping inside, he found a group of higher-ups chatting about their effects studio. 

“Picture this, John,” one of them said. “A main effects studio for the production of foley, with different floor sets, coverings on the main table to achieve different effects, complete with a wind machine and a water tank.”

Randall cleared his throat softly by the reception desk. A blonde lass glanced up at him with a kind smile as he spoke. “I’m here to speak with Mr. Marks and company. I need to have a conversation with the Board Members, if you please.”

John Wortham, one of the Board’s members, turned at the sound of Randall’s voice. His eyebrow rose. “Mr. Brown, hello.” He waved off the receptionist. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Clear my calendar for the next half hour.”

Randall followed Mr. Wortham into his large office, the others approaching as well. Stephen Marks spotted him from across the room and bolted towards him. 

“What are you doing here, Randall?”

The use of his first name set Randall’s teeth on edge. The smirk on that bastard’s face only made things worse. “You’ll soon find out, Mr. Marks. There's much to discuss. Where is Mr. Kippling, by the way?”

John turned and frowned. “Barney? Oh, he… had a family emergency. You will have to excuse his absence from Lime Grove today.”

Randall’s heart sank. Barney was the one true ally that he had on the Board. He would have listened. This matter would have been easily set to rights. 

An hour later, as he descended the staircase and opted not to ride the lift, he cursed to himself. He needed to let out the steam, vitriol, and anger, lest he toss his head back and scream to the Heavens. 

Bel spotted him the moment he pushed open the door in the hall, eyes curiously following him as he walked towards her. 

“What happened?” she asked, closing the door behind him once he was inside. “Tell me, please. Don’t you dare sugarcoat a single line of it.” 

He slumped down into a nearby chair by the table in her room. “They won’t listen to me. I presented them with the evidence and they shrugged it off. They left me standing there with a gobsmacked expression and simply couldn’t care less. They wouldn’t hear a word of it. Their decision is final.” 

Bel was boiling with rage. It was warranted. It was a fury for every woman who was ever told they would never amount to anything in their lives because of the men in their field, the little girls who were pushed into pursuing different careers, and the mothers who were left to raise children at home. She was fuming. 

“I won’t abide by this ruling. I won’t,” murmured Randall. “Relax, please. I cannot handle you having a stroke at the moment. There’s too much happening. We have a plan, and I suppose it’s time to enact it.” 

She came to rest against her desk, hands covering her eyes. “It’s because we’re women. It’s all because of this stupid, ridiculous fact. I hate men. I hate them. I hate this world. I’m going to speak with them, instead. Let me just calm down first. I’ll speak my mind.”  

He rose, carefully making his way over to her. “Bel, listen to me… For as long as I am here and I am your Head of News, you are safe. The women on this team are safe. We’re going to get Miss Storm… We’ll get Lix back. Do not go and speak with them. It will only make things worse.”

The tears in her eyes were anger-fueled. She was livid. She sniffled as he reached out a gentle, sweet hand to brush her shoulder. “It’s going to be alright. Everything will work out. Don’t go upstairs. I’m not saying this as the head of this program. It’s my recommendation as your friend.” 

He did something then that was so out of character for a man such as him. He drew her close and pulled her into a warm, supportive embrace. His hand came to rest on the back of her head, careful not to ruin her hair. 

The hug itself was unexpected but she collapsed into his arms, forehead falling to his shoulder. However thankful she was for it, she still attempted a façade. With a groan, she spoke. “Randall, I’ll be fine. You’re being dramatic.” 

He huffed a soft chuckle, barely audible, and replied. “Hardly dramatic. We’ll get her back. We protect our own.”

As she drew away, their eyes briefly met. A sad smile graced her lips as she asked, “What’s going on with you and Lix? Please, just tell me. I can’t help you if I’m left in the dark, completely unaware.” 

His eyes found the carpet for a moment. He was torn from his thoughts and sent tumbling back towards reality by the hand that landed on his chest, tapping lightly a few times. “Tell me, please.” 

“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” 

Bel’s head tilted slightly, eyes roaming his face. “It does. To me, it does. Something’s changed. I can see it in your stance, in the way you hold yourself. You think I don’t notice these things. You’re restless. You’re constantly fidgeting. It’s unbelievable, I know, but I see these things now. You aren’t alright, and I want to fix whatever’s broken. You are my friend. You both are.” 

The ghost of a smile found his lips briefly and he brushed a hand over her cheek before drawing away. “It’s a long story. And believe me, it isn’t anything that you can fix. I do, however, appreciate the thought.”

She lit herself a cigarette, if only to have something to do with her fingers. Beyond the semi-tinted glass doors she could just barely make out Sissy gazing in their direction, sadness evident in her expression. 

“We have time,” she offered. “Talk to me.” 

He waved it off. “Everything will be fine, and that’s the truth.” 

As he made his way to the door, moving slowly now, she called after him. “Come out with me tonight. Freddie can have dinner alone. He won’t mind. Let’s leave at a decent hour and have a nice meal somewhere. You can tell me then. Not here, I know. There are eyes and ears everywhere. I should have known better than to ask that of you.”

His eyes widened. For a moment, he floundered. Her kind smile softened him, though, as it always did. He eventually nodded. “Alright.”

Chapter Text

A few hours had passed since Randall and Bel’s conversation in her office. There was work to be done in the meantime. 

Ensconced in his office and enjoying a hot cup of coffee, Randall reached out for the telephone as it began to ring. He answered it, only to find a dial tone and an operator apologizing because the caller had hung up. He placed it back on the receiver and sighed, both agitated and confused by the call. 

Little did he know that it was Lix who phoned him. She wanted to apologize for all that she had said to him. Marnie’s words weighed heavily on her. She knew Randall would still be in the office around dinnertime. He worked late into the evenings. It was the only time that he had all to himself. He could get everything done that never had the time to take care of during a normal work day. 

She was a coward for hanging up before he even had a chance to answer.

‘Won’t you just believe in me for once?’

His words plagued her. They haunted her and refused to leave her be. She was restless. She was such a coward for what she said to him. She wanted to remedy the situation if she could.

She needed to be brave. She wanted him to know just how badly she’d ached for him during their search for Sophia, how much she had loved him throughout all of it: through their relationship, the end of it, having Sophia, the years in-between, the time they spent apart, his return to her life and her world again, the search for their daughter, and the days and months following. She wanted him to know how she truly felt. 

The words just wouldn’t come. In the end, she fell victim to cowardice.

What would she have said if he had answered the phone to find her waiting on the other line? What would she have told him? Would she have asked for his forgiveness, or confessed her feelings? Would he have tried to gently let her down? She wouldn’t blame him, truthfully. 

She was a mess these days. Her love life was a bother. Her life, in general, was dedicated to the news. It always had been. Somehow, all those decades ago, he had managed to worm his way into her heart. Their passion for sharing the news had always been the same. It made life easier. What could they be now, though? Lovers, partners, friends? Confidants, even? Perhaps a married couple? They could be everything.

Her mind was a flurry of thoughts, unfinished and messily strung together. Jamming the palm of her hands into her eye sockets, she groaned aloud. “Get yourself together, Lix,” she grumbled. “You aren’t like this. You’re better than this.” 

Later in the evening, Bel and Randall left the office to share a meal at a favorite restaurant of hers. As they stepped out of a taxi, Bel laughed. “It isn’t exactly a decent hour, but at least we’re out of the office. The night air is nice. I’m glad it’s not raining.”

Randall followed her, a wee grin playing at his lips. “True enough. I’ve felt like a mole as of late. I’m always in my hole, in my office, and the fresh air is a nice change.” 

Together, they wandered into a warm and welcoming Italian restaurant. They were seated by a hostess shortly after. As Randall slipped out of his jacket, Bel began to speak. 

“I wonder how Lix is doing at home,” she said. “I’m worried about her, you know. Emotionally, speaking. This isn’t easy on any of us, but it’s the hardest for her. She only tells me so much.”

He settled down, relaxed now as he shifted his watch on his wrist. “I can imagine. She’s strong, though. She will be alright. As for money, she will be alright on that front as well. Things are taken care of.”

She eyed him for a long moment, something knowing in that look of hers. He paid her bills for the time being. No ordinary boss would do something like that. He couldn’t bear the thought of her fretting over money, or wondering how to pay the rent and afford her groceries. 

“What’s your story, then? I’m curious.”

He scoffed lightly at the question, fingers reaching for a menu. Instead of giving him a chance to respond, she continued. 

“Don’t skirt around the subject now, please. You said yes to dinner tonight. We’re here, and we’re alone. You can speak freely. We’re friends, Randall. Tell me.”

Although his chin was dipped as he scanned through the menu, he cast a quick glance in her direction over his glasses. He huffed in exasperation and shrugged a narrow shoulder. “I have no idea where to begin.”

Her head tilted. “How did you two really meet?”

He decided on the Chicken Florentine, an easy enough meal. His gaze then turned to Bel, eyes curiously watching her. “We met in Spain. She hated me. I avoided everyone, according to her. Especially her, it must be said. She terrified me.”

At that, Bel laughed. “Wait, really?”

He nodded. “She was… foreign to me. She was a woman who was so comfortable in her body, who didn’t mind running towards danger with her camera at the ready, and it startled me. I was the analytical type. She was my direct opposite. I think she mistook me as a challenge. I avoided her, and she wanted nothing more than to be near me. She wanted me to notice her.”

A sassy brow rose and Bel chuckled. “That sounds like Lix.” 

“Doesn’t it just? In any case, she pursued me until one day I could no longer ignore her. We worked an assignment together on the front lines. Afterward, we all went out to a local pub. She dragged me to my feet and danced with me. We kissed. The rest, as they say, is history.”

His ears went red at the memories. She was his first, in every sense. He was a man in his thirties with little to no experience with romance and intimacy, and yet she was perfectly fine with that fact. He was, as they both discovered that evening, a very quick learner.

A waiter came by and they ordered their meals and drinks. A tonic with ice and lime for Randall, and a glass of Pinot Grigio for Bel. 

“You don’t drink,” she said, more of an observation than a question.

He smiled sadly. “No. No, I don’t. Not anymore.”

His expression said more than his lips had. He was a recovering alcoholic. It was obvious. He had struggled over the years, witnessing horror after horror, and she supposed that it would only send any sane person to the depths of depravity and substance abuse. It was soul-crushing. The job wasn’t for everyone. Most journalists and war photographers would never survive it. He had, though. He was a survivor. 

“Good,” she simply replied. “I’m glad you don’t.”

His head tilted. “You’re so curious about Lix and I. Do you mind if I ask why?”

She sipped at a glass of water, eyebrows rising. “I care. I told you earlier. That really is the answer. You’re my friend, Randall. Is it really so hard for you to understand that fact?” 

Over dinner, they talked about their lives and about the news they had covered. He told her everything. He was a veteran BBC War Correspondent. The Spanish Civil War was the first thing he had ever covered, from 1936 to 1939. Then came the Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine, including Great Britain's subsequent withdrawal. The Second World War followed. He traveled around to follow the British troops. Later, he wrote about the Northern Campaign, the IRA’s failure that followed. The Greek Civil War came after as well. He saw the defeat of the Communist forces firsthand. The British troops remained until 1948, and he lived there for some time. Later, he returned to Paris, where he decided to settle into a semi-normal position as Head of News for the radio broadcast and the newspaper that they printed daily. It was his favorite place that he had ever lived, he said. Now, he was back home in London with them.

“Did you think about her while you were traveling the globe?” asked Bel, somewhat unexpectedly. “Was she ever on your mind?” 

He had been wondering when the questions would come. Now was apparently the time. 

“Always,” he confessed. “I won’t even lie about it, especially to you.”

Her hand reached out for his. She covered his long fingers in a friendly, comforting gesture. “You’re here now. She’s here. Things might change.” 

He shook his head, eyes falling to his near-empty plate. “Things have changed. Not for the better, but things have changed. For a long time, we didn’t speak about it. There was nothing to acknowledge, and that was her decision. She wouldn’t apologize for the past, she told me. I couldn’t blame her. I should have written to her. I should have warned her that I was coming. It was cowardice on my part. Nevertheless, now we’ve spoken on the subject. Nothing will come of it.”

Her thumb brushed over his. “There’s more, though, isn’t there? I can tell. There’s something you haven’t mentioned.”

The need for privacy was never his. It was Lix’s. Bel would be the only one he would ever tell. They had miraculously become friends, had grown much closer, and he took that final leap now without trepidation. She could see the exact moment his mind was made up as well. He was usually so difficult for her to read, but not this time. 

“There was a child, a little girl. She was part of my reason for returning. I wanted to find her, and we did. She… She died. A lot of children were lost to the Second World War. In truth, war is no place for a child.”

He sobered for a moment, eyes resting on a faraway wall as he spoke. His gaze was hazy and unfocused. “I didn’t know she was pregnant. We went about things all wrong. We drank too heavily and fought too often. I proposed. She turned me down, and we argued. After I left for the front lines, Lix disappeared. She left. She was with child, and I had no idea. I didn’t find out until after she was born, and that was through mutual friends. Lix gave her to a family that would care for her and love her, but they never survived the bombings.” 

Bel was floored. Suddenly, the food in her stomach soured. She felt sick. Her eyes filled with tears. “Wait. The ring she wears around her neck… Is it yours?”

His eyes met hers. “Yes, it is.”

Squeezing his fingers gently, she pursed her lips. She was fighting her tears at the moment, not wanting him to bear witness to a crying spell. “I’m sorry. You’re two of the strongest people that I know. I’m sorry about your daughter, about the way things ended between you two before then, and for whatever’s happened lately. You deserve better. You both do. If you don’t mind me asking… When did you find out what happened to her? That’s a bit personal, I know.”

He patted her hand with gentle fingers, not wanting to leave her feeling uncomfortable. “You’re fine. You’re completely fine. It… It was the day that everything went wrong. It was the day that we almost lost Freddie. The culmination of our Celenti story, if you will. It happened before we went on air. I had a terrific meltdown in my office. She was there. She stayed with me, even though I asked her to leave. She didn’t deserve to witness that. I’m not sure how either of us were able to run the show later in the evening, when we went on air. Then everything happened with Freddie and he, of course, took precedence. We haven’t spoken of it since. We just… moved on. We had to.” 

The confession was a punch to the stomach. Any air she had left in her lungs escaped in one fell swoop of an exhale. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. The memories his words stirred weren’t particularly pleasant, either. 

He reached for his glass to sip at his drink and watched her for a moment. “I’m sorry to bring up such a dark day. It’s the truth, though. In any case, here we are. With twenty years of history gone between us, I’m surprised that more people in the office haven’t questioned us. Surely, by now, they all know that we were war photographers together in the Spanish Civil War.”

Bel reined herself in, trembling fingers crossing beneath her chin. “Oh, they do. The looks you two receive are interesting. No one has ever been brave enough to ask Lix about your history. But I did when you first arrived. Do you know what she said?”

His brow rose questioningly. “What was that?”

She almost laughed at the memory. “Hector asked how well you two knew one another. She said not at all. When I asked, she simply said that she didn’t want to lie to me as well.”

At the confession, Randall only chuckled. That was very Lix, indeed. 

“I’m not surprised,” he said sometime later. “People pry. They do little else. You, however, were only a curious friend. I could hardly blame you. She hides behind an air mystique and wit, clever remarks, experienced flirtatiousness, and a dry smirk. I would have been keen to learn more as well, if I were you. Her façade was well-built.”

Bel’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “When you’re able to describe her to such detail, I’m hardly shocked that she’s the object of your affection and desire…”

Randall rolled his eyes. “That’s going a bit far now, isn’t it? I never said that.”

“I disagree,” said Bel. “It’s obvious. At least, to me, it is. She wears your ring around her neck as well. She always has. I think that says a lot as well.”

Chapter Text

The following day was a jumbled mess of news stories and emotion. Bel was frantic, Isaac and Sissy were quiet, and Freddie was a conundrum. Randall couldn’t quite put his finger on whatever Freddie was feeling. He seemed to be out of sorts, perhaps because of how Bel was coping with the madness. 

After speaking with Lix, the team located the bastard who had cost her a position at The Hour . Bel closed the door to her office and phoned a lesser member of the BBC Board, whose name was Thomas Jenkins, to tell him about their findings. Nothing at all was done to rectify the situation. 

Sometime after lunch, Randall returned to his office to learn that he wasn’t alone. Bel was waiting for him. She was having a cigarette as she sat on the leather sofa by his bookshelves. 

“Hello,” he greeted her. “Is everything alright?”

She heaved a great sigh. “No, actually. Nothing is alright at the moment. I spoke with Tom. They won’t be doing anything about our current predicament. They neither care nor plan to take Lix back on as a member of the team. I’m at loose ends, Randall. What am I to do?” 

This was news to him. He hadn’t realized that she had already reached out to the Board in any capacity. 

In a moment of uncharacteristic panic, he tapped twice on his desk’s surface and sat. “It’s time to go with our other plan of attack,” he said quickly. “I’ll threaten to leave. I’ll force their hand. They’ll either call my bluff, or—”

He trailed off, eyes cutting to Bel afterward. 

She was stunned. His words had rocked her to the very core. “Are you still thinking that it’s an option? By now, I assumed you would have other ideas up your sleeve.” 

His lip twitched, a barely noticeable smile finding his face. “No, despite how grateful I am for the brilliant image of myself that seems to reside in your mind’s eye. Alas, it’s the final option. I have to do it. I would do it for anyone else on this team. For Lix, especially. We need her here.”

Her eyebrows rose in shock at his words. 

“I believe there’s a lot to read there between the lines, but yes, fine. Let’s do it. I’ll do the same.”

Randall’s gaze found Bel, expression faltering for a brief moment. She knew him far too well. She was also well aware of the fact that he still loved Lix. Nothing would change her mind. 

“I’m not sure that you should follow, though, now that I’m thinking about it,” he offered. “I wouldn’t want you to ever jeopardize your position here.” 

Stubbing out her cigarette in the ashtray on his desk, Bel reached out to brush a hand over his shoulder. “As sweet as your words are, you’re no less important here.” 

He chuckled. “I’m expendable. This program relies on you.”

She shook her head, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “You’re in no way expendable. The Hour relies upon your expertise as well. It takes an entire team to make a program operate smoothly and correctly. You’re our fearless leader, which you’ve once again shown. I’ll gladly stand by you. I’ll threaten to defect to another program. I don’t know. Just… something. Freddie will come with me. I’m sure that he would. He’ll stand by us. Hector will eventually say something as well.”

The smile on his face, despite the intensity of the moment, was soft and sweet. He watched her for a moment and proceeded to light himself a cigarette. 

“You have a gift with words,” said Randall, cigarette resting between his fingers. 

She only laughed. “And you’re dodging. It’s the truth, and you know it is. You’re important here. We’ll need to play this all very carefully. We can’t lose you. We can’t lose anyone else on this team.” 

He sat back in his chair and pondered her words for a moment. “No, we can’t. With everything that’s just taken place, let’s not threaten to defect. Let us simply warn that we’ll leave if Lix isn’t reinstated. That’s all. I’ll go first. The entire team will follow our lead, I’m sure.” 

Bel nodded. “Alright. Just say the word and I’ll jump.” 

He chuckled something dark and low. “It’s time to jump, my dear.”

Chapter Text

The next morning felt more like a whirlwind than anything else. Bel was as busy as could be, with Freddie and Hector trailing behind her as she whisked around the main floor. Freddie couldn’t seem to wrap his head around their plan. 

Randall, however, found himself lost in thought in his office. He was thankful for the time to himself. He went through the mail and pondered how to go about enacting their plan. 

Barney Kippling was still away on holiday, whatever the reason, and Randall knew he was running low on allies in the office. The BBC Board Members weren’t about to offer any assistance, that was for sure. They didn’t care about the evidence presented the day prior. Why would they start to show any compassion or kindness now? 

He was at wit’s end. Eventually, he phoned the BBC Board, speaking with a secretary before being put through. A threat was made. The ultimatum was clear. He told them he would leave for Paris if Miss Storm’s position wasn’t reinstated with the BBC. There was zero reason to keep her from rejoining the team. They were being stubborn on principle now, only because they couldn’t give a toss about women earning men’s wages.

Over the following days, Bel threatened to do the same, along with Freddie, Isaac, Sissy, and eventually Hector as well. The others from The Hour followed suit. Soon enough, it was the entire group. Everyone threatened to leave if Lix Storm wasn’t once again made Head of the Foreign Desk. The warnings were a stark contrast from the flippant attitude given by the Board Members. Nothing came of it, though, and all went silent. The BBC couldn’t afford to lose the entirety of The Hour in one-go and yet they didn’t have any comments to make in regard to keeping everyone. 

One particular dreary afternoon, Bel came wandering into Randall’s office in search of him. His eyes lifted from the planner on his desk to find her already watching him. Her brow rose, sassy as ever, and he knew a loaded statement was coming.

“Sorry for bursting in like this, but I’m exhausted of it all. The board is responsible for making decisions about the BBC, and as such it is viewed as a respected, formal entity,” she began. “I’m not even of a mind to capitalize the letters for the Board of Directors or the BBC members when sending notes to anyone at the moment. Given the circumstances, I feel neither respect nor gratitude towards them.”

He chuckled low. “I’m of the same opinion, Miss Rowley. You know that.”

She sighed. “What are we to do, Randall?”

He grinned then, and it gave her a dangerous hope. Her belly dipped violently as she watched him.

“Well, I’ve been a rather busy bee this morning. I was in touch with Mr. Barney Kippling, one of the Board Members. His wife is ill, although the prognosis seems to be a good one. She’s going to be fine. That’s the reason for his absence as of late. Throughout all of this, I was trying to get in touch with him. He’s the only true friend I have there. I phoned him at home and alerted him of the situation. He’ll be in tomorrow morning. There’s no longer any need for us to fret.” 

All at once, she plopped down on his ornate sofa and released a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. “Are you having me on? This entire time… Was it really that easy? With everything we’ve been through, all that we’ve threatened to do over these past few days, it ended up being as simple as a phone call? It couldn’t have been that easy, could it?”

He nodded. “I have my own opinions about the Board at the moment. Perhaps they waited until Kippling was gone to give the order, or perhaps it was mere coincidence with the news appearing on ITV’s broadcast when it did. Either way, we have our evidence, he now knows who the Judas of the situation was, and the man sees no reason to delay Miss Storm’s return. Everything will be alright. I was finishing up a set of show notes and had a mind to pay you a visit shortly after finishing up a few tasks when you barged into my office.”

He chuckled, sending a teasing glance her way as he stood from his desk. 

“Randall,” she said, “this is incredible news. Lix will be back soon.” 

Wandering towards her, he offered her a gentle hand. She took it rather gratefully, rising from the sofa. All she could do was shake her head, as stunned as she was by the news. She was on the verge of feeling lightheaded.

“You’re a miracle worker,” said Bel. She wound her arms around his middle for an impromptu hug. It surprised him but of course he returned the gesture. His hands found a home on her back as she sniffled, intent on keeping her emotions in check.

“All it took was a conversation with Mr. Kipling. How on earth did you acquire his number?” 

As they drew away, she took note of the twinkle in his eye and assumed he would keep his secrets to himself. However, he said, “I have my ways. I have my own contacts, you know. I sometimes forget that I’m an important man here to the BBC. They might not have heard or cared much about my threats to leave and return to Paris again, or yours, but I do have friends. These friends have access to personal information, as a matter of fact.” 

She brushed a hand down his jacket to smooth out a wrinkle before stepping away. “I… I have to tell Freddie.” She turned, intent on departing from the room. Something, however, occurred to her. “You called in a favor, I’m assuming? Was this from someone you had helped in the past? If not, what did you promise this friend of yours in return?” 

He sobered at the question. “I’m sorry? It doesn’t really matter, does it?” 

Bel’s eyes narrowed. “On the contrary, I rather think it does.” 

He waved it off. “It wasn’t a man, if that’s what you’re concerned about, and it certainly isn’t as dark as you’re anticipating. She helped me with Mr. Kipling’s information. A woman. And in return, I merely promised her a night at the cinema and dinner to follow. It isn’t as dire as you’re expecting.” 

Her eyebrows rose in surprise and a laugh bubbled up from her lips. Relief filled her chest. She was incredibly thankful that it was something so lighthearted. She was imagining some dark deed to be fulfilled at a later date. “You’re apparently quite the charmer,” she said. “Look at you. We’ll see what Lix thinks about that, shall we?” 

His amusement was immediately soured. “Lix won’t mind, believe me.”

Bel fiddled with the doorknob as she watched him. “Won’t she?” She looked him right in the eye after asking that. “If she didn’t wear your ring, I wouldn’t be so concerned. You forget, I know your story now. You told me everything. I’m sure that tale hasn’t come to an end yet. Either way, if she complains, you can tell her said woman saved her career.”

Chapter Text

Bel returned to her office, shutting the door and promptly phoning Lix. She made herself comfortable as she waited, eyes admiring her freshly painted nails. Eventually, the line was answered.

“Hello? Lix Storm speaking.” She sounded exhausted, the words a mere grumble.

Bel almost chuckled at her clipped tone. “It’s me, Bel. Listen, I actually have some good news to share with you.” 

Bel tapped away at the desktop out of pure habit, her eyes resting on the blinds that covered her office door. When Lix wasn’t quite sure how to respond, she continued.

“Randall’s finally done it. You’ll be back soon. We were going about things the wrong way.”

She went on to explain the entire situation, leaving out the bit about Randall needing to take a personal assistant out to dinner, of course, and Lix was stunned to the point of silence.

Eventually, however, she replied. “How could it have been so easy? The timing was suspicious, but I won’t complain. At least Kippling’s on our side and he’ll be back in the office come morning.”

Bel sighed softly, reaching out for the pack of cigarettes on her desk. She lit one. “He is. He’s one of the good ones, and he wants you back as soon as possible.”

Lix let out a breath that she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. “Thank you for phoning me, darling. I’m tired of cleaning the house. It’s been hell, just sitting here waiting. I’ve been going through old photographs, categorizing everything. I can’t remember the last time I’ve done that. I have boxes lined up in the spare bedroom.” 

Bel laughed. “At least your flat is clean, then. The time at home was well spent. I was imagining you chain-smoking, enjoying your whisky and whittling away.” As an afterthought, she added, “You might want to call Mr. Brown. He’s the one who accomplished this mountain of a task, not me. We didn’t tell you, but we all threatened to leave on your behalf. Nothing came of it, though.”

Lix gasped. “Tell me you didn’t. Bel, darling… That could have cost all of you your positions with the BBC. That wasn’t worth it. You’re too important. All of you are.”

Shaking her head, Bel said, “That’s one of the most ridiculous things you’ve ever said to me. We’re all important here. The Hour doesn’t run without you, or without any of the others. I wasn’t going to let a couple of ridiculous men and their wild, archaic views cost you your livelihood. Anyway, it was Mr. Brown’s idea for all of us to threaten leaving. Be angry with him, not me. He did that for you. Give him a ring. Let me know how it goes.” 

Lix’s chuckle was something dark and low. “Look at you, playing matchmaker. It isn’t going to work, dear. I’m far too old for any of that. We were nothing more than a pair of war photographers in Spain together. You’re making mountains out of mole hills, as they say. Stop that. But yes, I think I will say something to him. When I return, though. Not just yet.”

Bel fought the urge to sigh. She knew their entire shared history, but it wasn’t her place to tell Lix. On this subject, as with many other things, she would remain quiet. 

“Whatever you say, Lix. I’ll see you soon, alright? Not tomorrow, surely, but the day after. While I’m thinking about it, I’ll make a note to phone you in the morning, so I can let you know what happens at Lime Grove.”

After she was off the phone, Freddie wandered into the office and sat down across from her. He ran a finger over the yellow desk lamp and sighed, eventually reaching out a hand for her to take. “How did Lix take the news? Is she alright?” 

She shrugged her shoulder, lacing her fingers with his. “How do you expect? She was floored, same as I was. I can’t believe it was so easy. We finally found the one man on the Board who could help us. Let’s get everything together. I’ll even clean her office for her. That’ll be a nice surprise, won’t it?”

Later in the afternoon, Bel made her way to Lix’s office. Who she found there shocked her.

Randall was otherwise occupied, and was busy tidying up the room. He was taking his time, as methodical as could be.

“I didn’t expect to find you here,” Bel said by way of greeting. 

Startled, Randall turned to her before eventually smiling. “Hello to you as well. I thought it might be appreciated.” 

Wandering into the room, Bel closed the door behind her. She watched as he shuffled around some papers and made himself useful, dedicating things to one corner of her desk and setting aside anything that could be useful later. 

“Need any help?” she asked. “You seem to have everything under control here.” 

He shrugged a narrow shoulder, eyes finding her. “Of course, you can help. I wanted her to return to a clean office, that’s all. Here, help me with the desk. She’s always too busy to organize her paperwork. You know Lix.” 

She relaxed almost immediately, wandering over and brushing a hand down his arm in a friendly gesture. She hoped to offer comfort as well. “I spoke with Lix, you know. I phoned her this morning. She’s elated. My private plan, as I told Freddie, was to tidy up her desk, if I could. Then I came here to find you organizing everything, instead. We’re of the same mind, it seems.” 

All in all, Lix’s office was clean but cluttered. The papers lying about just needed a bit of organization. They got to work after a bit of discussion, making sure to leave her office as relaxing as they could, and with her worktop clear.

“I said that you two could use a conversation, you know,” Bel said. “That she should phone you and thank you personally. All of this happened because of you, after all.” 

He went still, wide eyes finding her. He blinked and the expression passed. Then he chuckled. “I don’t think that was very wise of you, but thank you all the same.” 

Her head tilted. “Something happened between you two, didn’t it? It was recent, I’m sure. That day I came to talk to you and knew something was off, you said that it was all just a bit fresh, that it didn’t involve The Hour or our work, but I’m sure you were referring to Lix. Are you okay?” 

Her concern was touching. It never failed to take his breath away. “You’re a fantastic investigative journalist, Bel. Your instincts are usually right. Everything will be fine, though. And I do, I remember that conversation. How could I forget it? You said we were friends.”

Bel set Lix’s camera down, noticing that Randall had placed the cap over the lens. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she dared to ask, “Because we are. I consider you a dear friend, same as everyone in this group. Were you trying to rekindle an old flame? How’d that work out for you? Not well, I should think.” 

His hands slipped into his trouser pockets as he watched her. “I can see that you aren’t going to let this one slide. I’m not entirely sure what happened. I didn’t mention it over dinner with you. One minute I was telling her that she’d be back in no time, and the next she was asking me… Well, she was asking me not to look at her in a way that I’m sure I’ve always looked at her. It was something about my expression. I asked if it would truly be such an inconvenience if things changed for the better, for us, if I did want more. But perhaps it was the wrong thing to say. She wasn’t pleased with me. Lix has no time for love in her life. She never did, she said, yet I somehow wormed my way into her heart all those decades ago.” 

Bel crossed her arms over her chest. “Can I tell you a secret?”

His brows rose curiously. “Of course.” 

“If it’ll change your mind about things being worth it or not, as in worth pursuing, I mean, I had a rather interesting late luncheon.” 

He waited, watching as she approached him. She held out her hand to show him her new engagement ring. “Freddie asked me to marry him. The time that’s elapsed isn’t the same, I’ll admit, but it was worth waiting for. Think about that part, instead.” 

Admiring the ring, Randall smiled. “I’m thrilled for you, for both of you. Does anyone else in the office know yet?” 

She shook her head. “Not yet. You’re the first to know, and the first to notice the ring as well. I’ve barely been out of my office since returning from lunch.” She sighed softly, eyes roaming his expression. “All of this was to say that sometimes the good things in life are worth waiting for. Do you think Lix is worth waiting for? Because I do.” 

He laughed then. “It’s been twenty years and I’m still waiting. Does that answer your question?” 

They departed from the office together, leaving Lix’s window slightly ajar for the fresh air. One of the cleaners would close it later.

“In any case,” said Randall, “I’m happy for you. Incredibly happy. Have a good evening when you leave the office. Let Freddie know how thrilled I am.” 

Bel positively beamed. “Thank you. I hope you do as well. Have a good night.” 

Unable to help himself, he chuckled. “Well, I’m afraid that’s a moot point. I’m taking someone out for dinner. We’ll be seeing Some Like It Hot as well. A promise is a promise. Her name’s Janice.” 

Bel made a face, trying not to laugh. “Good luck with that. Let Janice down rather easily once dinner’s over. Try not to be a terrible flirt as well.” 

“Right — because you’ve summed me up perfectly, and I have the visage of Rock Hudson to go right along with things. I shall endeavor to be as merciful as I can be.” He was altogether amused by her failed attempt at hiding any mirth she felt. “I’ll be kind. I am looking forward to the film, though. At least there’s that.”

She dipped her head, laughing at his antics. “I’ll say it again… Good luck, Mr. Hudson. You might even enjoy yourself. I’ll see you in the morning. Try to be home at a decent hour.”

His eyes rolled. “Yes, of course, mother mine. I’ll be in the office bright and early, as per usual.”

Chapter Text

Randall arrived in the office at half past seven in the morning. It was a bit past his usual time. He found Bel and Freddie having a tiff in the hallway. His brows rose as he approached.

“What’s going on now?” he asked. “Dare I even inquire?” 

Freddie was fuming, although he said nothing. Bel crossed her arms over her chest. “The running order,” she said, elaborating. “He thinks it’s wrong. I told him that I’m the producer. Tell me, Mr. Brown… Are you and I at least in agreement?”

He made a face, head tilting as he glanced at them from above his glasses. “We are. I’m sorry, Mr. Lyon. The Riots take precedence, I’m afraid.” 

She nodded and promptly wandered off. Not a moment later, however, someone wandered into the main cubical area.”

“I’m looking for Mr. Brown, thank you,” he said, talking to Sissy. In her hands she was holding a stack of files, presumably for either Bel or Freddie.

Randall turned to find Mr. Kippling, hearing the voice. At this hour, the office was still relatively quiet. Hector hadn’t even arrived yet. Mr. Kippling happened to look his way and nodded, smiling gently. “Ah, there you are. You’re an illusive man.” 

With a chuckle, Randall waved a hand towards his office. “I’ve only just arrived, actually. I’m sorry if you were looking for me earlier. Traffic is horrendous this time of day. Let’s step into my office, shall we?” 

Once they were given the privacy of a cozy office, Randall shut the door and asked, “You seem to have been busy this morning. Do you have any news?” 

Barney nodded as he took a seat by Randall’s desk. “I have been, actually. I’ve already been in to see the other Board Members. I’ve stated my case. Lix will be back tomorrow. There’s so much bloody evidence to present, which you told them. Give me everything you have, in case it’s needed later. The show can’t run with you pulling the workload for Head of the Foreign Desk and being the Head of News. We need Miss Storm. I can’t even begin to imagine the pressure you’re under, Randall.” 

Sitting at his desk, Randall chuckled darkly. “I won’t lie to you. It’s overwhelming. We’ve made it this far but it won’t last. Miss Storm is missed. Thank you.”

Reaching into a desk drawer, he added, “How is Mrs. Kippling feeling?” 

Barney relaxed, eyes resting on Randall. “Quite well, thank you. Once the fever passed, she was well on the road to recovery.”

“Good,” Randall said. “I’m relieved to hear it.” 

Upon finding what he was searching for, he passed over a green folder. Inside lay every bit of evidence found, transcripts of telephone calls and telegrams as well as handwritten notes that were acquired from Lix’s office. It was all there. There was even a photograph of the man who cost Lix her job. It sat atop the notes. Everything could be found there. Randall left no t uncrossed and no i undotted.  

“Thank you,” Barney said, running a hand through his graying hair and rising from his seat. “I’m only sorry that I couldn’t be here earlier. What a mess. You have an ally in me, Randall. That will never change. After all, who was it that saved my life in Greece?” 

Randall raised an eyebrow. “You did an alright job of it yourself, Barney. I might have helped, but you saved yourself. Stomach wound or no, you still managed to make it to the ship. You’re still here with us now. You’re a survivor.” 

For a moment, Barney watched Randall. There was a warmth there on his face, a friendly affection and fondness, and he held the folder all the closer to his chest. “So are you, Randall. So are you.” Then, as he reached the door, he said, “Miss Storm, Lix, will be rather pleased. Relieved too, I imagine. She’s given her life to the BBC. How dare they betray her like this. Not on my watch.” 

After he’d gone, Bel came wandering in. Randall was slipping out of his coat and straightening his tie. Once, twice, three times. 

“Hello,” she said, greeting him quietly. “How did things go?”

Randall released a soft sigh. “Well, I should think. Call Lix. She’ll be back in the morning. I gave Mr. Kippling the evidence we collected. There can be no denying it now. He’s certain she can return in the morning. Phone her, warn her. She can come back tomorrow, unless she needs another day of rest. The choice is hers.” 

Bel’s brows rose. “Why don’t you do the honors? You could phone her.” 

Randall almost laughed. “No thank you. I know where I’m wanted, dear.” 

She tapped at his desk, curious now. “Maybe. Who knows. Anyhow, I did promise I would ring her. I’ll go and do that now, then. Before I do, though… How did your night at the cinema go?”

Randall frowned, watching as she crossed the room to the door. “Fine, I suppose. Janice is lovely. She didn’t seem to mind my… quirks. I’d rather not give the poor woman a fright.”

With her hand lingering on the doorknob, Bel asked, “Did she kiss you?”

He sent the driest look in her direction and huffed in a mixture of exasperation and amusement. “Heavens, no. It was simply an evening out, one that I’m not planning to repeat. She seems to be looking for more than mere friendship. But nothing of an intimate nature was involved, I assure you. However, the film was great, as predicted.”

Bel laughed. “I’m only teasing, Randall. Breathe. I’ll see you later.”  

Later, alone in his office, he wondered if the conversation would be a welcome one. Upon reaching for the telephone, however, he slowly reconsidered. Perhaps it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. Throughout this entire sordid affair with the leak and the traitorous bastard, he and Lix hadn’t spoken. He hadn’t seen nor heard from her since the night he went to visit her at home, and his heart still ached from that particular memory.

She needed her space from him, and he would give her this gift. It wasn’t an easy task, but he would manage. She deserved that much. It was the best he could do, aside from fighting like a work dog to reinstate her position with The Hour. He did what was necessary for her.

After all, Lix Storm was not a soft woman. She was a razor.

But she had been soft. Once, so long ago now. He remembered all of it. She had softened for him, but those days were gone. It was but a reminder of the harsh reality of life. She had her moments, of course, since his return. She could be soft, but it was best to keep in mind that she was, by default, no longer the young, carefree, and gentle woman she had once been for him and him alone. Times changed, and so did the individuals who withstood them.

Chapter Text

Having Lix return to The Hour was marvelous. She was rather touched to have her office space tidied up a bit as well. Maybe it made everything easier for her, knowing they cared enough to do such a thing. It was warm and kind, and she was beside herself with a feeling like that. 

Within the hour, Randall was wandering around the bullpen and began checking on everyone. He and Lix caught each other’s gaze from her office, the door left ajar. He glanced away first, not wanting a row to ensue, and moved on. 

He brushed past Bel but she curled a well-manicured hand around his bicep to lead him into her office. His eyebrow rose but he said nothing, simply following her. 

“We’ll be alright,” he eventually said. He already knew what she wanted to say anyway. “You can’t expect things to change, Bel. But we’ll be just fine.”  

She closed the door and eyed him for a rather long moment, arms crossing over her chest. 

“Perhaps I’m a fool but I rather thought they would. Drastically. But she’s too proud to approach you, and you’re far too terrified to say as much as a hello this morning. Go say something to her. Go tell her that’s welcomed back properly now. Go tell her the strife was worth the wait. I don’t know, you’ll think of something. You always do.” 

His head tilted. “Are you actually a matchmaker now? We had one when I was a wee bairn. She went around town, trying to help families find matches for their kids. Maybe you’re wasted in the news.” 

She huffed, exasperated. “Just… You just go talk to her, Randall, or I swear God, I’ll…” 

Opening her door, she gently shoved him out of her space and into the hall. “Go say… Oh, bloody hell. Go say hello to her. Try it. Let me know how it goes.”

He was left alone in the hallway for a moment, Bel’s door closing behind him. He couldn’t help a soft laugh at her behavior. Despite his better judgement, he wandered over towards Lix’s office and rapped at the door with his knuckles. Her head rose, watching as he entered. All wiry arms, lithe frame, like some sort of lingering undertaker with a handsome face and fantastic hair. The sight alone had something welling up inside of her. Damn him.

“I’m glad you’re back, Lix,” he said. “You were missed.” 

She put her burning cigarette down in the ash tray and sighed. “It’s good to actually be back. I’ve gone mad at home. Thank you for keeping up with my stories while I was away. You did a good job with things. You haven’t lost your touch.” 

He shrugged a shoulder. “Thank you.” 

“You cleaned my office as well. Don’t even bother denying it. Not only did it smell like your cologne in here this morning, but everything was stacked rather neatly for me. I’d be willing to bet that Bel helped as well.” 

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “She did. We just… wanted things to be welcoming for you. That’s all. Please don’t take any offense.” 

“None taken,” she said. “None at all. It was appreciated. I’ll thank her profusely later.” 

“Mr. Kippling is the reason you’re back,” he explained. “He came by my office and we had a long chat about you. He was horrified to find you’d been… fired since he’d had to leave for a while. His wife was ill.” 

Lix was watching him like a hawk now. “And how is she now?”

“Better. Much better. Which is a relief, of course. And when he came back, he learned about everything. He came to see me, I showed him the evidence and told him how the Board Members were treating us. Well, mostly me. He was disgusted.” 

She nodded. “I’ll visit him later, just to say thank you in person. He deserves to hear it from me, and not just over a phone call.” 

Now was the moment, wasn’t it? The moment where she told him everything, where she apologized and asked for his forgiveness. He was far too skittish around her at the moment. She really ought to apologize and just tell him the truth. He deserved to know. He deserved it more than anything else. 

“Anyway, I’ve got some things to do,” he said, heading for the door. “It was good to see you.” 

Her heart surged into her throat, an inexplicable lump she would never be able to rid herself of. 

“Wait, Randall,” she called. 

Turning, a brow arched, he glanced over at her and he waited. “Yes?” 

Cowardice won in the blink of an eye. All that she could manage was an empathic, “Thank you.”

He turned the knob. “I would do anything for you, Lix. You should know better by now. I’m glad that you’re back where you belong. Because it is here. This place needs you.”

So do I, he thought just before leaving. Not that it mattered at all, of course.

Chapter Text

It was around eight in the evening when a knock came at Randall’s hotel suite door. He answered it with trepidation, still dressed in his suit from the day. The jacket was gone, however, and he was left in a waistcoat and white shirt. His sleeves were rolled up, tie still perfectly in place. 

Standing at the threshold was Lix, looking as forlorn as he had ever seen her. The conversation she had with Marnie the previous week had been playing on her mind all afternoon, along with everything else the pair had been through. Altogether, it was just too much . 

“I’m sorry,” she said without preamble. “I’m sorry for all of it. For the words we said, for the way we left things. I’m just sorry. I know I’m not one to make apologies, but regardless, here we are.” 

Randall scoffed. “Come inside, Lix. The hallway is freezing.”

He stepped aside and allowed her entrance into his suite, closing and locking the door behind her. She ran a hand over her cheek, willing away the cold of the evening and glancing his way. Her eyes found his features, still as handsome as ever. She’d never been able to properly put it into words. He left her weak in the knees.

She sighed, waiting for him to speak. Eventually, after some time, he began.

“I know you mean it. I know you’re sorry. But you are sharp, Lix, and sharp in a way you never were before. I know that I’m a part of the cause, and therefore, I deserve every scathing remark you make. I deserve the way you ignore me, as if we were never really lovers in the first place. You constantly cut me. You tear me to shreds, but you’re also a balm to heal the wounds as well. You soothe me. I’m such a fool for needing you the way I do. Things began changing after the news of possible information on Sophia, that first time, and I thought… Well, I hoped...”

She looked torn. She wanted to speak but once he started, he couldn’t be stopped. He had to pour his heart out. He was in a state, and she couldn’t bear to interrupt him. Instead, she wrung her hands together and listened.

“Don’t you see, Lix? I had to come back last year. I had to see you, to know you again. I am content with this. I am. I’m content to know you. But I’ve kept this terrible thing so close to my heart for far too many years, and there is so much more inside of me. I wanted more, and I’m not even ashamed to admit it. I thought you did, too. You said you did. But in the same breath, you also said we couldn’t pursue it.”

He turned away, reaching for the pack of cigarettes on the counter at his kitchenette. He lit one as he watched her. Every word he said only wounded her all the more. She was flabbergasted.

“Let me explain the situation as I should have last year, Lix. I came here, returning to London. The BBC reached out to me, and it planted an idea in my head that I had both been dreading and yet yearning for. I took the opportunity as a possible new chapter in my life.”

Randall’s hand found his forehead as he spoke, eyes resting on a painting on the nearby wall.

“In any case, it was the BBC who had written to me, yes, asking me to come and assist the Board of Directors. They were in need of a well-grounded and experienced Head of News. It was sheer luck. And me? Luck? Could you imagine it? But no, perhaps I’m not so lucky, after all. I came here and woke you up. I should have stayed in Paris. I never should have returned to London. I could have lived out the remainder of my days in Paris, and I wish that I had. But we never would have known the truth about Sophia if I had.” 

She slipped closer to him, a hand searching for his fingers. 

“Randall, wait. Please, don’t say that. You’re wrong. I’m glad you came here. It was necessary. All of this was necessary, but I didn’t understand it at the time.”

He shook her off, brows furrowing with anguish. 

“Don’t, Lix. Don’t. Perhaps things should have stayed in the past. I was such a fool. All I’ve done is cause you more pain. It was wrong. And as long as we're on the subject of causing pain, I was a cruel man to propose to you twenty years ago as well. There, I said it. The words are out now. I am shocked you still wear the ring, though. Is it penance? Is it a reminder of the pain? There is no need. We had a whirlwind of an affair, and it should have been left as such. I really am sorry.”

She made a soft noise, releasing a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding.

“You aren’t a fool, Randall. And you weren’t cruel for that, either. Stop it now. Don’t you dare say that. I was the cruel one for turning you down. I should have said yes when you asked. I wish I had. I should have told you about the baby. I should have been honest. You deserved my honesty, and I was a coward for never telling you that I was pregnant. Instead, I only pushed you away. I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do. I wear your ring because it’s a reminder that love endures. That what we had was real and so very dear to me. It’s what I lost.” 

All at once, he deflated. She watched in horror as he slumped against the wall, the mere vision of him doing so going completely and utterly against his very nature. She ached to reach out for him. Something held her back. Her brows furrowed and her hands balled up into fists at her side, as if to will herself to remain where she was.

“Tell me something, Randall. Was it love that we had? Was it? I’ve held onto this image of us, a distant memory that feels more like someone else lived it rather than myself. I’ve held onto it for so long. I wasted my time ever trying to forget you.”

For a moment, she screwed her eyes up. She couldn’t look at him. “When you returned, it was just so… clear. It was so crystal clear and I wanted to hate you for it, but I couldn’t. It aches. Every time I look at you, my heart aches. It’s far too romantic, the idea I had of us. I thought the reality of it all paled in comparison to it. The two of us, waging war with one another whilst trying to capture another war on camera. Making love in stuffy hotel rooms, stealing kisses in dark alleyways, and rescuing one another from danger. We were always there for each other. I remembered the good times and forgot about the bad. Until you returned. Then it all changed, and it hurt all over again. I had to let myself heal.”

He inhaled on his cigarette after raising it to his lips with trembling fingers. His brows furrowed as he responded.

“Of course, Lix. Of course, it was love. I loved you. I would have moved Heaven and Earth for you. I still would. We were a terrible concoction, a combination of alcohol, trauma, and war atrocities. But still, I loved you. I do love you. You were able to lessen the pain of it all. I survived Spain because of you. Not in spite of you, but because of you. You were a balm to my wounded soul.”

The way he weaved his words never failed to render her breathless. Reaching out for his hand, she took the cigarette from his fingers and stubbed it out in the nearest ashtray. 

“Randall,” began Lix, trailing off for a moment. She sighed. “Why on earth have you never told me? If you still love me, you should have said so.” 

“I didn’t want to do this to you. I never wanted to hurt you, Lix. And the truth of the matter was that I naïvely and ignorantly assumed you already knew, and therefore I had no need to say anything. I don’t deserve a single thing from you. It would be wrong of me to ask. Just because I feel the things I do doesn’t mean that you have to return the sentiment or emotion. If you’ve moved on, that’s alright. It’s okay. I’ve just… I’ll be fine, Lix. Just tell me to let you go and I will.”

There was an unmistakable hitch in his breath. She watched him, her heart breaking in her chest. They were already too far gone and there was too much that he needed to get off his chest. She deserved to let him say his piece. She watched in a combination of terror and heartache as tears pricked at his eyes. Before she could dare to respond, however, he continued.

“I was a coward, Lix. I should have written to you before coming to London. I should have warned you. Like you said, I… I showed up on your doorstep, in your world, in London. This place is your home. I arrived without warning. I’m so sorry that cowardice had me by the throat. I could never ask you for more now. I don’t deserve it.” 

Her hand found his once again and she laced their fingers together, thankful that he didn’t pull away or move out of her space. 

“If you returned to London for far more than just Sophia and any information pertaining to her, you should have told me. I had no idea. I had this… hope, but you never showed a desire for more. I’ve already told you this. I was terrified, regardless. Instead, you’ve been this quiet presence in the office. Caring, careful, mysterious as ever. You’ve grown closer to Bel. I see it, you know. Freddie’s beating changed everything. I know that you two were close in Paris. Freddie often talks about how well you two got on. London’s your home now as well. You have friends here. I’m sorry I pushed you away. That was my mistake.”

Her eyes searched his face, finding something there that she had needed for so long. Love.

“I’m sorry for what happened at my home. I was scared, Randall. I lost my job. My career was over, as an unmarried woman without a plan. What happened between you and I was enough to push me over the edge, and I lashed out at you. I never should have done that. I should have let it all organically happen. Instead, I squashed it.”

She did something then that shocked them both. She slid into his arms and her forehead came to rest against his chest. His lungs deflated. She could feel the ferocity of the exhale, and she hummed in response. 

“I still love you, Randall.” 

And it was the most courageous thing she had ever said.

Chapter Text

Bel made a beeline for Randall’s hotel suite the moment she left Lime Grove. She took a cab and headed straight there. With Lix returning to Lime Grove this morning, she knew he would be overwhelmed by it all. 

When she knocked at the door, however, Randall began to panic in his suite.

“I’m not sure who it is,” he whispered. “Go wait in the loo for me for a minute, darling. Let’s err on the side of caution.”

She obeyed, slightly concerned as well. Only, she heard Bel’s voice a moment later. 

“Is everything alright?” asked Bel. “It took you a while to answer the door. I wasn’t sure if you were home yet or not. Today’s been a lot and I just needed to make sure you were okay. I had to see you before heading home.” 

Randall shook his head. “No, yes, everything’s fine. Sorry for worrying you. It’s been a rather long day… I’m knackered, if we’re being honest. Are you okay?”

All at once, Bel’s brow rose. “I am. I’m just fine. All is right in the world once again. And you know, you aren’t as subtle as you’d like me to believe. I can still smell her perfume.” Turning to survey the room in a quick but subtle glance, she said loudly, “Lix, darling, please come out.” 

Almost immediately, Lix stepped out in the main room and wandered towards the kitchenette where they stood. She only laughed, eyes taking in Randall’s flustered expression. “Sorry.” 

Bel tried to hide her grin but was ultimately unsuccessful. “There’s no need to apologize. Are you two alright?” 

Randall’s eyes moved between the two women. Before he could respond, however, Lix spoke. 

“I’m under the distinct impression that you know far more about the pair of us than I’ve been led to believe,” she said. “Your secrecy’s fooled even me.” 

Randall chuckled. “Astute observation, Lix. You said so yourself earlier… Bel and I have become friends. I do have friends here in London, and not just those from my BBC correspondent days. She wasn’t nosing around for information for the sake of it. She cares.” 

Bel crossed her arms over her chest, nodding her head. “It’s all true. You caught me.” 

Lix lit herself a cigarette, needing something to do with her hands. She eyed Bel for a long moment before daring to speak. “Then it seems there’s nothing more for me to say on the subject. Marnie told me something and I rather think it’s true.” 

Tilting her head, Bel asked, “And what’s that?” 

Randall’s hands slid into his trouser pockets as he watched the exchange, equally as curious. 

“That we’re all worthy of a happy ending,” Lix revealed. Yes, it was entirely against her own nature, to not only be so optimistic but to confess something as dear to her heart as this, and to divulge any sensitive facts and knowledge on her own life as well. She usually withheld information when and where it concerned her character or personal history. Bel deserved her honesty, though. 

The woman in question only smiled. Randall then said, “Your timing was either disastrous or impeccable, Bel. But thank you for coming by, regardless. And thank you for thinking of me. I’m perfectly alright.”

Reaching out with both hands, Bel squeezed their forearms in a sweet gesture. “No need to thank me, either of you. I’m only glad everything is now resolved for The Hour. You’re home, Lix. That’s what matters for us. You’re going to be okay. We all will be.” 

A short while later, Bel left the hotel. Not without giving them a mischievous wink, of course. 

The suite was silent after Bel’s departure. Lix chuckled as she turned to Randall, eyes roaming his features and fully enjoying the bashful expression she found there. 

“So, she knows?” 

For a moment, Randall only nodded. “She does. Something wasn’t right about me, in the office. She asked what was going on. Eventually, I told her. I took her out to dinner and was honest about my story.” 

Lix took a drag off her cigarette before a hand found his chest. “Good,” she said, much to his own surprise. “Good, I’m glad. You needed a friend. You’ve changed. I can see it, even now.” 

His eyebrow rose, a hand covering hers. He pressed her fingers to his chest, not in the least bit concerned about the way his necktie wrinkled. “Have I? I would argue that.” 

She shook her head. “Don’t bother. I can see it. You’re allowing yourself to make roots here, I think. Freddie isn’t your only tie to this place anymore, and neither am I. You care about our team, and it shows. Perhaps this entire debacle altered the state of things. You forget how well I know you. It takes a lot for you to let someone in. You let her inside. In a way, it’s very sweet. I can’t wait to hear your speech at the wedding. I’m sure it’ll be one for the ages.”

Reaching out for her cigarette, Randall dipped his head to capture her lips in a soft, meaningful kiss. As he drew away, he murmured, “It’s been a rather long day. Let’s head to bed.” 

She patted his chest, enjoying the weight of his palm against the back of her hand. Then she said, “I’m not yet tired, but alright. That’s not a bad idea. The rest would do us a world of good.”

He laughed, stubbing out her cigarette in the ashtray on the table before drawing her in closer. His hands landed on his waist, lingering there. “I never had the intention of sleeping,” he said, tone low and suggestive. “How does that sound?” 

Humming, she said, “Marvelous, actually.” 

Pulling away from him, she sauntered off towards the bedroom area. She took her time, slowly working open the buttons on her top as she headed for the bed. “Aren’t you coming?” She glanced over a shoulder to find his eyes still lingering on her.

“I am. Just admiring the view first,” he quipped. There he was, standing in the doorway now, and his eyes were trained on her. He was loosening his necktie, tugging it off, and beginning to unbutton his top. Her belly did a silly little dip at the sight. 

“You’re quite stunning when you look at me that way,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’d almost forgotten what that expression looked like on your face.” 

He crossed the room to her, entering the bedroom area and bending for a kiss. Her arms slipped around his shoulders, his fingers brushing her hip to hold her. They undressed each other, enjoying the sensuality behind it, the tenderness, and fell into bed together.

They were careful with each other now, gentle in a way they hadn’t been decades ago. There was just as much passion, though, and she eventually swatted his hands away for a moment to tell him that she wasn’t made of glass and wouldn’t break. Then all pretense of delicacy and tenderness fell away. Her throat went raw from calling out his name. 

Afterward, as they lay in bed together, Lix turned to curl into his side and lay her head on his chest. She brushed a soft kiss to his collarbone, expression softer than it had been in quite some time, and murmured in response.

“Thank you,” she said softly, still rather breathless. “For fighting like hell for me. You were magnificent, and I never had the chance to tell you so. Or the courage, for that matter. But I appreciated it all the same.” 

He laughed, casting a quick glance down at her. “I told you earlier, Lix. I would do anything for you. I’m just sorry we couldn’t get you back with us sooner.”

His fingers drew a slow pattern up her side, the kind that made her both ripple with pleasure and ache for more. She reached up for a long, slow kiss, and caught his lower lip in her teeth before releasing it. “I know you did, and I know you would,” she said. “And I appreciated it then, same as I do now.” 

Her warm skin against his left him humming, satisfied and spent. He turned to graze his lips over her forehead, laying down a kiss or two and sighing. “Good.” 

Reaching down, he captured the necklace where his ring sat. His eyes met hers and she immediately softened. “I saw it, you know,” he continued. “It was the first thing I noticed about you when I showed up at The Hour.”

Her cheeks grew warm. “I’ve always worn it. I wasn’t going to take it off because you were suddenly in London with me. It’s a reminder.”

“Of what, exactly?”

She nuzzled at his throat. “Of what I had, of what I lost, who I loved and the price of war. Of what was so precious to me. Any of the above, all of the above.” 

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “We’re here now,” he said. “Maybe wearing a talisman helped me find my way back to you.”

A soft chuckle fell from her lips, one filled with amusement. “You are positively ridiculous, Randall, but I adore it.” 

Kissing her hair, he laughed as well. “You never used to complain about that fact.”

Strewn across his bed like they were, she was beginning to feel the chill. They shifted around for a moment, tugging sheets and blankets higher to cover them. 

“And you never will hear me complain, Randall Brown.”

Curling up beneath the sheets, she came to rest at his side. Her cheek fell to her arm as she watched him. His face was a wonder, and she let herself admire the wrinkles and sun spots that hadn’t been there twenty years ago for him. He was gorgeous.

“Through the storms, the stitches may fray, yet hope’s needle binds them day by day,” he recalled. “In every tear, there lies a chance, to mend our hearts, the dance of romance.”

Saying nothing for the moment, she ran a hand down his ribs and side. Her skin was so warm beneath hers. Then she replied, “You do know how to woo me, don’t you?”

He smiled, eyes finding hers. “I suppose I do.”

“You certainly haven’t lost your touch, either. My legs are gelatin.” 

He made a noise in the back of his throat, one that left her belly dipping violently. She was breathless as he leant in to kiss her. “I’m glad to hear it, darling,” he said. “You’re quite the lover yourself. That’ll never change.” 

Lix’s eyes fell shut, a smile playing at her lips. “Thank you. Wake me in the morning, please. I’ll need to head home for a change of clothes before I start the day at Lime Grove, otherwise we’ll have Bel snickering at us.” 

He hummed, nodding his head. “She’ll do that regardless, but alright. Goodnight, darling.”