Victoria Smith walked the streets of the small, British village, clutching her book to her chest. It was dangerous for anyone to be out this late, especially a woman. She knew most of the people who lived here, but any shadows in the gloom of night looked menacing. She heard someone walking behind her. She picked up the pace. The person behind her did as well.

"Miss? Miss, are you okay?" A kind, gentle voice asked. It was the man behind her.

"N-no." Victoria stammered. She would not meet the man's eyes.

"Miss, look at me." The man ordered.

Victoria turned around. The man was handsome. He had fine cheekbones and, from what she could tell in the gloom, light brown hair.

"My name is James Nicholls. What's yours?" He asked.

"Victoria Smith." Victoria said.

"Victoria. What a beautiful name." James said. "It's not safe for you to be out here on your own."

"I know that." Victoria said.

"Please, allow me to take you home." James said. "Where do you live?"

"With my parents." Victoria said.

"Well, lead the way." James said.

Victoria let James take her home. To her surprise, she trusted James. She had thought she'd heard his name before. She searched her mind for names of people she'd heard.

"Aren't you the boy who's always horse racing with Jamie Stewarts?" She suddenly asked.

"We're training for the Calvary." James corrected.

"Oh, you want to be part of the army." Victoria said. "You must also be the boy who broke my best friend's heart."

"Oh, uh...yes" James said, somewhat embarrassed. "Who was she again?"

"Her name is Amy." Victoria said.

"Ah, yes, her! How is she doing?" James asked.

"You don't even know who I'm talking about, do you?" Victoria asked.

"No." James laughed. Victoria, even though he had just saved her, glared at him in disgust. James noticed and smiled at her. "You can't expect me to remember every woman I court, can you?"

"And you court a lot, I suppose?" Victoria asked.

"Well, it's all in good fun." James said.

What a tramp! Victoria thought. She turned to James when they got to her home.

"I can take it from here, but thank you for walking me home and rescuing me." Victoria said.

"I'm not going to leave you until I talk to your parents." James said. Before Victoria could protest, he knocked on the door.

A man and a woman opened the door. They gasped and pulled Victoria into the house. James stepped in of his own accord.

"Young lady, we were worried sick about you!" Her mother said.

"I told you where I was going!" Victoria said.

"You didn't say how late you would be out!" Her mother replied.

"She got a bit sidetracked." James said, announcing his presence.

"Who are you?" Victoria's father said.

"James Nicholls." James said. "I just wanted to walk her home. There were some drunk men on the streets she was walking on and I wanted to make sure she made it home safe."

"Oh, my gosh, Vicky, are you okay?" Victoria's mother asked.

"I'm fine. Nothing happened." Victoria said. "Um, thank you, James."

"Anytime." James smiled. "I'll see you around, Vic."

"It's Victoria to you." Victoria said. Her mother gave her a look. "But, I suppose you could call me that."

"Thanks." James laughed. "Well, goodnight."

James showed himself out. Victoria's parents forced her to go to bed and assured her that she was not in trouble. Victoria went to bed and thought of James for a minute. He seemed quite nice, but then all men like him knew how to act around women. Victoria scoffed as she laid down. He was a tramp and would never be anything else. She fell into a deep sleep, glad to be home.

The next morning, Victoria's mother gushed about how James was such a gentleman to have walked her home. She agreed that it had been a great thing to do, but she still thought he was a tramp for courting all those girls. Her parents didn't want to let her go out, but she said she wouldn't go out at night again unless she was with someone. She looked to her best friend, Amy, as they walked to a restaurant.

"I saw James last night." She said.

"Oh?" Amy said. "Why?"

Victoria went over the story again. When she had finished, her friend looked shocked. After she had said that she was fine, she began to giggle a bit.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"I think he likes you." Amy said.

"What?" Victoria gaped. "I personally think he's a tramp."

"I agree with you." Amy said.

"Oh, I'm so hurt." A familiar voice said behind Amy and Victoria. "All right, Vic?"

"Great." Victoria muttered as she turned around. "Hello, James. How are you?"

"Quite good." James said. "Hello, Ames."

"Goodbye." Amy said, getting up and leaving the place.

James looked like he wanted to laugh, but wiped the look off his face when he saw Victoria's glare. He cleared his throat and sat down in Amy's spot.

"So, are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I am." Victoria nodded. James tried to take a piece of bacon off her plate and she slapped his hand away. James winced and rubbed it.

"You hit hard for a girl." He said.

"Don't pull that card, James." She said, reluctantly shoving her plate towards him.

"You aren't going to eat it?" James asked.

"I lost my appetite when you walked in the room." Victoria said.

"Is that how you treat someone who's saved your life?" James asked.

"Only when that someone courts girls for sport." Victoria said. "And you didn't save my life."

"I guess you have a point." James chuckled. He suddenly looked a little nervous. "Would you like to come and watch me race?"

"I've got plans." Victoria said.

"Yes, and the person you made those plans with has left." James said.

"I've told my parents that I won't go out alone unless I'm with someone I can trust." Victoria said.

"Look, if you don't want to come, you can just say so." James said.

"No, I want to." Victoria said.

"You're lying." James said.

"No, no, I'll come. It's a small price to pay for all you've done for me." Victoria said. She threw a wad of cash on the counter and left with James.

Amy was nowhere in sight, so she must have left. James walked with Victoria to a field where a boy who had to be just a few years older than him with two fine looking horses.

"About time, James!" He said. He looked in Victoria's direction. "Another one? Really, James?"

"Easy, Jamie." James held up his hand. "Victoria's a friend."

"Well, how do you do, Victoria?" Jamie held out his hand. "Your surname would be Smith, correct?"

"Yes, that's it." Victoria said.

While they were tacking their horses up, Jamie turned to James. He gave him a look.

"What's the look for?" James asked.

"If you want my advice, I think she'd be perfect for you." He said. "I've heard of her. She's as stubborn and headstrong as you are."

"You can say that again. She's also quite witty." James said.

"Try to court her." Jamie said. "You're reputation as a well-bred gentleman is already wearing quite thin."

"I don't think she'd wanted to be courted by me." James said. "But she is quite lovely...I've never met anyone like her."

That was the end of the conversation. The two mounted their horses after Jamie had set up a pole with a small ring that had some cloth tied around it. Swords were improvised with long sticks they had found on the ground. James looked down at Victoria.

"Say go when I say, got it?" He said.

"Sure." Victoria said. She waited until James nodded at her. "Go!"

The two young men's horses ran at top speed. Jamie pulled ahead and snagged the ring through his stick. He grinned back at James playfully. James tried not to show his anger.

"You're losing you're touch." Jamie joked.

"It's my horse who's losing his touch." James said. "He's getting quite old."

"Excuses, excuses." Jamie said. "What would you say, Victoria?"

"I think James is making excuses because he failed to impress a girl." Victoria smirked. James gaped at her.

"Alright. I'll make you a bet." James said. "I get the ring this time and you give me 10 guineas. I don't win, you get the ten guineas." (Not talking about guinea pigs. WHAT IF THOSE WERE USED AS CURRENCY, THOUGH.)

"A lady never bets." Victoria said, leaning on the fence to the pen the horses were trotting in.

"You're not like most ladies." James said.

"I bet you say that a lot." Victoria said. "The bet is on."

"You're gonna lose your money, Vic." James said.

"I doubt it!" Victoria shouted after him as he got his horse.

"And I doubt your doubts!" James yelled back at her, smiling as he did so.

Victoria hoped that James lost. He and Jamie mounted their horses again. Victoria watched James, waiting for the signal. He nodded to her and she yelled go at the two boys. She watched as James pulled ahead and got the ring. James took the ring off the stick and threw it to Victoria.

"A token of my love, milady." He said.

"Annnnd, you just lost those ten guineas." Victoria said, putting the ring in her pocket.

"A bet's a bet." James said.

"Fine." Victoria rolled her eyes as she got the money out of her bag.

"Thank you." James smirked as he took the money. Victoria looked down at her pocket watch.

"My goodness! I should have been home ages ago! I'm sorry, James, but I must go." Victoria said. "I had a splendid time."

"You should come by tomorrow. I could come and get you." James said.

"No, I've got plans with Amy. Please don't intrude this time." Victoria said. 

"Oh...alright." James said, pretending to be upset. "Allow me to walk- or give you a ride- home."

"Okay." Victoria said.

James took his horse over to the fence. Victoria climbed up onto it and mounted the horse. She, though uncomfortable with it, wrapped her arms around James' back. James kicked his horse. It trotted her home.

Before Victoria went into the house, she gave James a kiss on the cheek. James barely processed when she said goodbye. When she went into her house, he pressed his hand to where she had kissed him on the cheek. He could not fight the feeling that was stirring inside of him. He was falling for Victoria.

As Victoria walked up the stairs, she barely said hello to her parents. She felt a bit like a foolish schoolgirl. She knew, though she hated it, that she was beginning to develop feelings for James.

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Yes, yes, I know that I need to be finishing what I've started, but I've had this on my brain for some time. I watched War Horse last night and decided to finally publish this! Poor Tom Hiddleston has only had one completed fanfiction so far on my account. Victoria, in case you ignored the picture and haven't looked at the cast list, will be played by Keira Knightley. And, yes, you can know that you have a crush or are falling for someone after seeing them twice. Heck, I fell in love with Tom before I even saw The Avengers!