~Kensington, West London, January 1994

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Millie swatted at the alarm clock on her bedside table, staying sprawled out for a few minutes as she adjusted to the morning light. Her day never had the earliest start because she was waking up at 9:45 in the morning, but the late nights never did that start time justice. She would always be a night owl at heart. Since Millie moved to London, she was graced with the chance to perform as a lead in the musical Oklahoma! with a young cast of men and women alongside her. The cast consisted mostly of talented twenty-somethings and even some teens peppered throughout the ensemble. Though unconventional, Millie was happy and her days were busy. Busy days made her tired and less likely for her demons to turn her inside out.

The now 23 year old slipped out of bed and went straight for the shower, taking off her nightgown and pulling her hair up into a bun. In the shower, she gave her body a once over with soap, the hot water waking her up as it relaxed her muscles. Once Millie had rinsed off and dried off, she put on a robe and left her bedroom, going to tend to the girls. Millie had rescued two miniature lop rabbits six months ago, and named them Doris and Shirley, after none other than Doris Day and Shirley Jones. Picking up Doris, she allowed the white rabbit to snuggle into her collarbone and brought her over to the kitchen as she made breakfast. Breakfast consisted of toast, fruit, and a hard boiled egg. Sometimes a spoonful of peanut butter. Whatever she was feeling that day. Doris squeaked as the toaster dinged and the bread popped out. Millie gave her a little peck on the nose and gathered her breakfast up to sit at the kitchen table and officially start her day.

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The pen was clean, the apartment was clean, Millie was cleaned up to go to a two show day, and the thermostat was set so she would have a warm home to come back to and one that ensured that the girls wouldn't freeze. Millie gave the two fur balls a long and hard look. Doris sat comfortably in her favorite corner while Shirley zoomed back and forth in a circular lap around their pen.

"You girls be good until I get back, okay?"

Shirley's feet slipped out from under her and she tumbled into one of the bowls of hay. Millie nodded to herself. "Yeah, alright. Bye girls."

She grabbed her pea coat and pulled it on over her dress, followed by pleather gloves. After fixing her hair in the mirror and putting a hat on to cover her ears, she grabbed her tote and was out the door. The walk to Earls Court from her apartment in Kensington was no different than any other walk she had to make while living in Manhattan, so Millie was more than happy to walk a half of a mile to Earls Court Subway station instead of three miles to the Palace Theatre. Sure, three miles would not have been a problem for her, but three miles in the snow was a no go for her.

While seated on the tube, she pulled out a small weekly and monthly planner that she scribbled up with just about everything that went on in her life. She set aside a little bit of time to go to a bar with a few of her costars after the Friday show. Millie knew that a few of them were prone to staying up late like her.

Leicester Station was not too far of a trip, so Millie was shuffling off the train within minutes of sitting down. The open air seemed to turn much more bitter than before, so she stuffed her hands in her pockets after hiking her scarf up over her mouth. The streets of London's West End were busier, especially at a time of transition from the lunch break hours back to the workplace, or back to home or into work for the first time. Hell, it was always busy. No stranger to the cold unless they were a tourist, everyone moved with due diligence and with purpose. Millie carefully crossed the street to the stage door of the theatre. Upon entering, it appeared quiet enough that she assumed not everyone was there yet, or some of them were hiding. With a shrug, she initialed in and ascended the staircase to her dressing room.

Millie swung the dressing room door open and began to light up the place. Vanity lights, a few decorative lamps, and her humidifier all started up one by one as she skipped around the room. She took each piece of outerwear she was wearing off until she was just in her dress, socks, and undergarments. A humming came from outside her door, and it brought a smirk to her face. Millie poked her head outside the door at the familiar voice of her costar and first best friend in London. James Wilson was the man playing Curly opposite her Laurey, and he was no stranger to stirring the pot if things were too quiet for him.

"But I know I'm gonna change that tune when I'm back on top, back on top in June! I said, that's life, and as funny as it may seem!" He slid in his socks just far enough to cut Millie off from her original path.

James reached a hand out. "Oh, my Millie, don't leave me hanging!"

Millie jokingly took a step forward towards him and took his hand. He swung her around to face him and she joined in." Some people get their kicks stompin' on a dream!" With a squeal, she was lifted in the air by James and they spun into their own little dance.

Six days a week and eight times a week Millie and James would dance and sing together before a performance to "warm up their dynamic" as James called it. They always joked that the two Americans in the production had to stick together, so they were found together quite often. After all, so were Curly and Laurey. Millie was content with the new life she was living. She had two great pets, a great job,  and great friends, specifically in that order. Her life was now simple and sweet, and that was all she could ask for.