A Gangster With Roses • Tommy Shelby

love, rosie

Rose shakes her head, feeling a rush of emotions come up. "You won't."

Tommy looks at her, trying to come to terms with why she thought that.

"It's almost like this relationship is cursed..." She trails off. "If we continue this."

"I know." Tommy nods, acknowledging the harsh truth. "But we're heading to the top Rosella, no one will be able to mess us about. This is about legitimate business."

"Okay. But I don't want to see a gun for a good year."

Now that the battle with Kimber was done, Rose's real life was about to begin. Her getting shot, didn't even come close to what the future had in store.

"How did it feel today?" Rose asks much calmer, running her fingers through his hair. "To be in between life and death, knowing you could be in heaven the next day?"

Tommy caresses Rose's cheek with his thumb, looking into her eyes. "Do you really think a man like me would go to heaven?"

"Well, there isn't a man like you, Thomas so I don't know."

"Guess I'll have to make my own heaven then."

"Did he hurt you, my dad?" Rose could see the dressing and padding of a wound through Tommy's shirt.

"He shot me." Tommy admits, knowing she knew already.

Noticing how horrified Rose looked at him confirming her worst fears, he immediately downplays it. "But I'm a big boy. Not my first bullet and won't be my last."

"Where were the police? Did they not help?" She interrogates. "You need to report that, Tommy."

"Most of them were too busy looking for the poor mayor's wife. Daisy. We got no help today." He explains.

"You're right though. I was thinking of taking a stroll to ten Downing Street actually and having a chat with the ol' Prime minister about that. Because, he will listen to me."

Rose shakes her head at Tommy's obvious sarcasm and realises it was a stupid thing for her to say but it still was right.

"We just can't keep living like this Thomas." Rose takes a deep breath.

"I know, I know. But, life isn't always how we want it, you know? We will get there Rosie but sometimes things—"

"I love you Thomas Shelby." Rose smiles faintly. "Even on days I don't want to, I can't help but love you."

Tommy could never get tired of hearing her say that, every time was like the first time. Rose was the only girl he could have patience with, the only girl that saw this other side of him.

"Here it comes Rosie." Tommy's voice was low.

"I love you too."

She leans her head onto his, feeling the pressure of tears about to drop from her eyes.

"And there it goes, Tommy." Rose sniffs. "Away it goes."

She rubs the back of his neck, softly. "We can say it as much as we like...but there's no chance."

Tommy felt his heart sink but he kept his composure.

She chuckles softly, sniffing. "You're a thief Tommy."

"How?" He responds after a while.

"You've committed the worst crime of them all."

"What crime?"

"You stole my heart."

There's silence.

"Well, have mine then." Tommy sighs, closing his eyes. "Just tell me, tell me what I need to do, I'll do it. Tell me what it'll take Rosie?"