LONELY| Thomas Shelby

1.4

DANCING AROUND THE back garden, a bottle whiskey in her hands, john spun beth around as she laughed. They were slightly over the tipsy stage. Polly and Ada sat on the steps laughing at the pair as they danced around in innocence. "Johnny I love you!" Beth sang, picking her dress up slightly as she began to pranced around on the cobble stones. "Bethy I do!" John cheered. They shared a look before belting out. "Where we're apart my heart beat only for you!"

Laughing Beth fell into John's arms as he hugged her tightly. Polly and Ada clapping at their performance. "If i could marry you i would." Beth exclaimed, panting slightly as she looked up at John. "That can be bloody arranged. Ask Arthur i always said you picked the wrong fucking Shelby brother. I've got the bigger dick anyway." Pushing away from John, Beth leaned over on her heels as she howled in laughter. "John Shelby!" Polly exclaimed, picking up a rock and throwing it at him.

"Don't worry Pol. I've seen both John's and Tommy's and i assure you, Tommy's much bigger." Beth grinned, winking cheekily. John dramatically gasped and threw her over his shoulder. "Wait Beth, how have you seen John's..?" Ada asked, through her giggles sharing a look with Polly who raised her eyebrows in curiosity. John placed Beth onto the ground and they stepped away from eachother there cheeks flushed a bright red.

"You two fucked!" Polly shouted in near shock. Only laughing louder when neither Beth of John denied it. "Arthur! You owe me five bloody pounds!" Ada shouted back into the house. "It was only once." Beth murmured, walking over to sit beside the two women. "If your going to tell them we fucked you might as well not bloody lie about how many times it was." John shouted, holding his arms up. Pointing her finger to Ada and Polly, Beth glared. "Not that i care but do not tell Tommy."

Sitting onto the steps, Beth let out a huff as the two women continued to laugh. "I just- when? How?" When Polly said through her laughs. Arthur and Michael walked out and Beth looked back at Arthur pleadingly. Arthur's eyebrows furrowed as he ruffled Beth's blonde hair sitting down on the step beside her and looking over at John who held a proud smirk. "What the fuck you after doing to her?" Arthur grumbled, clenching his fists as he looked at his younger brother.

"Bethany and John have fucked!" Polly blurted, smirking as Arthur looked towards Beth in shock. Michael groaned from behind and reached into his pocket and placed five pound into Ada's open hand. "Jesus christ did you all fucking bet on us?" John exclaimed. "It was once and we were drunk." Beth clarified placing her head into her hands. "Three times." John mumbled scratching the back of his neck. Arthur let out a loud laugh and stood up, hitting John onto the back. "That a boy John!"

•

"All right now cock it with your thumb." Beth instructed. It was dark out and Polly and Ada were sat inside with the children. Beth stood against Michael a smoke between her lips as she stared out into the field. Michael chuckled and raised the gun, doing as Beth had instructed and cocking it with his thumb. "There you go. Now she's been cocked. She's alive in your hand." Arthur grinned. John let out a loud rooster sound pulling Beth against him as she laughed, and took a drink of the whiskey in his hand.

"It's like waking up a girl when you cock that trigger. She rolls over all sleepy eyed and she goes, 'Michael. Michael'." Arthur chuckled leaning over. "What are you gonna make me do Michael?" John slurred attempting to sound like a girl. "Yeah, what are you going to make me do Michael?" Beth grinned, winking cheekily as his mouth fell open in shock. John and Arthur only laughing in return. "You boys are crazy men. Fucking crazy men." Michael yelled.

"Yeah but you fell though right?" Arthur questioned. "Yeah. Yeah, you can feel it. You can feel the power. Now, squeeze it." Beth grumbled when a load shot went out and she drunkinly looked around for the source of noise. "Powerful." Michael repeated, his eyes glistening under the moonlight. "Fucking useless!" John slurred. "Piss off John." Michael hissed. Beth only grinning as John opened another bottle of whiskey. "Michael, why does a pen pusher who sits on his ass all day wanna fire a gun?"

"Cock it again. Once more." Arthur instructed. "Round two!" John yelled pulling Beth by her waist towards him as she laughed pushing him away. Michael raised the gun, cocking it. "Look at the fucking face John boy. Look at that face." Arthur pointed. Beth grinned leaning against Michael's shoulder from behind. "Pull the trigger." She whispered. "Now he feels it. But you won't feel nothing until you point that thing at a man." Arthur grumbled. "So do it." Beth whispered. Michael turned pointing the gun at John.

"There you go, young boss. There you go, now you feel it. Now you feel what we feel. Even what Beth feels. This is what it's like." Beth suddenly felt sober a Michael never dropped the gun, his finger edging closer to the finger. "Michael don't you dare. You don't want to do it. You'll lay awake sick to your stomach for weeks and months and even years thinking of the blood on your hands. It doesn't stop at one it's always two or three. You have the opportunity to not fuck up your life like we did. You see how fucked up Tommy is." Beth scoffed.

"Better than having a pen in your hand, eh? More like having your cock in your hand." Arthur exclaimed, still toying at Michael. Michael turned quickly pointing the gun up into Arthur's neck. "One squeeze. I'm gone. I'm fucking mate." Beth bit her lip sharing a look with John who seemed to having sobered up himself. "Michael you fucking watch that Webley don't jump. You know that?" John threatened, his voice slightly shaken. Beth felt tears in her eyes as she watched Michael.

"When you pull that fucking trigger, and the body of the man you shot wraps itself around your ankles, they pile up. Just like Beth said." Michael began to breathe heavy as he raised the gun to Arthur's face, a look of madness. "It gets to the point where you can't walk in a room. Without bringing a load of em' with you." Arthur kept a straight face, a slight glare in his eye as he anticipated Michael's next move. "What's going on?" Beth gasped looking over quickly to see Polly and running towards her, hugging her tightly as she shook.

"The bloody hell were you boys playing at?" Polly spat, hugging Beth tightly as she shook. Walking towards Arthur Polly raised her eyebrow. "What's going on?" Arthur swallowed thickly looking down at the woman. "Polly, wee just educating the boss here. On our side of the business." Polly glared up at Arthur, her eyes never leaving his as she spoke again. "Michael get in the house." A silence fell and Beth watched as Michael walked towards her, stopping for a moment her turned on his heel and walked back over to Polly.

"I'm not a fucking kid anymore." He spat, before turning and walking towards the house, past Beth who grinned slightly. Polly watched as Arthur walked around her and pulled out his gun. Shooting the bottles they had set up as targets. Pulling out his guns John follows his lead and shot at most of the remaining bottles before they both turned to look at Beth expectantly. Polly went to reach for Beth's hand but Beth had already taken her gun out and marched towards the two Shelby brothers. Stepping between them she shot three times, hitting the three bottles left standing.