Prove It {P.G.}

Chapter 12

A/N: Hey lovelies! Happy pride month! I love you all so so much, and I hope you enjoy this update. Also, what would y'all think about me not really including much of the plot of Peaky Blinders (maybe occasional big plot points) and focusing more on the relationships between characters? I feel like I've been lacking in including it the past few chapters, so I wanted to see what you all thought. <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You gonna go talk to Pol about last night?" Arthur asked, his arms crossed over his chest. Lilian sighed as she blew smoke from her lips.

"I'm getting to it, Art," she replied.

"Are you? Because she has been going crazy with worry all day. You don't need to tell her everything, Lil, but you need to at least tell her something." Lilian dropped her chin to her chest.

"I know. I'm just scared," the brunette explained. Arthur pursed his lips and got up from his chair, crossing the room to stand in front of Lilian. He wrapped her into arms and kissed the top of her head.

"You're going to be fine, princess. You are that woman's entire world, and that isn't going to change because of one conversation. I promise." He let her go when he felt her nod against his chest.

"Thank you, Arthur, for this and last night. I don't know what I'd do without you," she remarked with a small smile. Arthur waved her off and gently patted her shoulder as he walked by, their silent way of showing their support for one another. Lilian took a deep breath before strolling into the kitchen where Polly stood at the counter. "Pol?"

"Yes, little one?"

"Can we- um can we talk upstairs?" she asked in a whisper. Her voice was weak, and she stuttered over her words, something that wasn't common for Lilian. Polly could practically feel the young woman's nerves hitting her as they radiated off her in waves.

"Of course we can," she replied gently. She took Lilian's hand in her own, allowing them to fit together like puzzle pieces. They walked upstairs, stepped into their shared bedroom, and sat side by side on the bed. Polly wasn't a fan of not being able to look Lilian in the eye, so she moved back to lean against the headboard before motioning for the brunette to sit on her lap. Lilian did so hesitantly, her hands shaking and bottom lip pulled between her teeth. "What did you wish to speak about?"

"Um, last night," she mumbled. When she finally forced herself to look up at her girlfriend, she was met with Polly's patient expression.

"Take your time, my love; I'm not going to push you to tell me anything you don't want to," she assured. Lilian took in and let out an unsteady breath that made her shoulders shudder before deciding to just rip off the bandaid and tell her everything. She took one of the older woman's hands in her own to play with the rings on her fingers.

"I guess I should start with the reason I got up in the first place. I um- had a bad dream about one of the first times Alexander hit me. I uh I had dropped a plate or something, and he got really upset; it was one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me," she breathed. She paused, returning her gaze to Polly's.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I didn't want to bother you; I know how hard you work, and you deserve your sleep, Pol," she explained, smiling weakly to accompany her sweet words.

"Oh, little one, you never need to worry about bothering me. You deserve to sleep too, and if me talking with you or holding you after a nightmare is what will allow you to do that, I'm more than happy to. What happened when you went downstairs?" Lilian bit her lip once more.

"I went to get a drink and then the thoughts started again..." the young woman trailed, dropping her head again. Polly gently took her chin between the fingers of her free hand and lifted it so she could look into the beautiful brown hues of her girlfriend's eyes.