At Your Service [Tommy Shelby]

Cosmic Secret

She had hoped that leaving her old life behind would free her from these haunting dreams, but reality has proven less forgiving. The past continues to cast its long shadow over her present, and the scars of war remain etched deeply within her memories. 

Vivian places her head in her hands, feeling the weight of her struggles bear down upon her. "This needs to fucking stop," she whispers, frustration tinged with desperation in her voice. But the path to liberation from her nightmares remains unclear, leaving her feeling powerless against the darkness that invades her sleep.

Memories of her father and brother flood her mind. She recalls the devastation that the war brought upon them, the night terrors that plagued their souls, and the scars they carried long after the fighting had ceased. The once vibrant and whole men she loved were irrevocably shattered by the horrors they had endured.

Eventually those night terrors happened during the day as well. She remembers walking home with her dad from the bakery. She was chatting with him, for as much as he did chat, and suddenly out of nowhere he was attacking an innocent man. 

After he got out of that day terror he told her he had sworn the unknown man was there to kill him. The man lost his sight. Her father got sued, but he never made it to jail.. 

Tears fall from Vivian's eyes as she grapples with the torment of her own night terrors. She questions the fairness of her situation—how can she compare her experiences to those who fought in the war? How is it possible for her to bear the same burdens when she had not even faced the battlefield?

Her heart aches with the weight of the past, the guilt of her own struggles, and the yearning for the night terrors to relent. "This needs to stop," she repeats, her voice trembling with the fervent wish for respite from the relentless nightmares.

With the cigarette now a faint memory, Vivian resolves to head back inside and take a quick shower before attempting to find solace in sleep once more. As she discards the butt and turns to reenter the house, she freezes in her tracks. 

A figure stands in the doorway having a smoke as well, partially obscured by the darkness, but she can see a silhouette and it is wearing a peaked cap. She has to go through that door to get upstairs however so she decides to walk towards the man. When she comes closer she can see that it is undoubtedly Thomas Shelby. 

Despite the dim light, Vivian can sense his intense gaze upon her, sizing her up, perhaps questioning her presence in this late hour. 

Her footsteps echo in the quiet night air as she draws nearer to him, her heart pounding in her chest.

Thomas Shelby stands his ground, a mysterious aura surrounding him like an impenetrable shroud. His penetrating eyes seem to bore into her, and she can't help but wonder what he might be thinking about her.

As she nears him, he steps aside, allowing her to pass through the doorway. A sense of relief washes over her as she realizes he poses no immediate threat. She musters a quiet greeting, "Goodnight, Mister Shelby," her voice barely above a whisper. The weight of his presence makes maintaining eye contact an intimidating prospect, so she averts her gaze, feeling a mixture of awe and trepidation in his presence.

She walked past him and just when she thought he wouldn't respond anymore he says: "goodnight."

~

He hears her footsteps slowly fading away in the hallway. 

He had heard the creak of the door and decided to investigate the source of the noise in his own house. And there she was, sitting on the bench—a vulnerable, raw version of Vivian, if he recalls her name correctly. Her nightrobe draped loosely around her, her hair hastily tied back in a bun, and the scent of tobacco mingling with the faint trace of tears.

He heard her say that something has got to stop. He didn't make any noise, not trying to startle her. But he knew once she would turn around she'd be startled nonetheless. He doesn't know why he didn't just start a conversation with her. It looked like a very intimate moment. In truth, he couldn't comprehend why he didn't just walk away, giving her the privacy she deserved. But this was his house, he reminded himself—a space that belonged to him, where he could go wherever he pleased.

The truth was, there was just something utterly mesmerizing about her, and he was hoping if he would closely look at the scene that was unfolding before his eyes, he would get to know some cosmic secret. Thomas Shelby is not one to openly reveal his own weaknesses, but he has always been fascinated by the display of vulnerability in others. It's a trait he keenly observes in his opponents, studying their weaknesses as much as their strengths, but in Vivian, he finds vulnerability in a different light. She is not his adversary; she is a beautiful woman—perhaps one he ought to keep at a distance, but tonight, that desire seems to waver, perhaps it was the alcohol that has blurred his judgment.

He is however fairly certain she is creeped out by him, watching her without her noticing him. Perhaps his decision to maintain a distance, to watch her from afar, was the right one. There are many maids who have tried to seduce him or his brothers, and it is never a good idea. Maybe he has created some needed distance. Since he himself could not stay away.

He is very intrigued by her. When she walked closer to him he could see she was in distress. her eyes puffy from crying, her hair wet from sweat. He would almost say he knows how something like that can happen. He has had is fair share of sleepless nights drenched in sweat. He has, however, never seen it on a woman. So she does carry a secret, probably not a cosmic one.

As Thomas Shelby walks through the dimly lit corridors of his estate, his thoughts keep returning to Vivian. He remembers Francis mentioning her CV on his desk, and he decides to check it out later. Perhaps it could unravel some of the mystery surrounding her.