The Queen Of Small Heath

You're Alive.

Auroras POV

I woke feeling sick and I had to rush to the bathroom to throw up. I hate morning sickness. Tommy was tense today and occupied with business he made clear he wanted me to stay away from. I hadn't complained as I am not in the fucking mood as this baby is causing me havoc. Definitely Tommys child.

I watch as Tommy pulls on his suit jacket and I roll my eyes. "God, you're worse than a woman Thomas Shelby." I scold, pulling on my jacket, before I put my Peaky cap on. "I want you to go to the hospital and keep Michael company while I deal with some bloody business." He grumbles, stopping to a halt to place a kiss on my lips before disappearing out the door of Polly's.

I sighing rubbing my temple as I nod at nothing. "Bye Tommy. I love you. Yes, I'll be safe today and stay out of trouble. Oh, you will too? Great. Fan-fucking-tastic." I grumble sarcastically as I left Polly's, pulling the door shut behind me. The walk to the hospital was silent and cold as the winter air rushed around me on the streets of Small Heath.

******

Arriving at the hospital, I feel shivers as I get a sense of deja vu of the day John died. Closing my eyes shut for a moment, I take a deep breath before pushing the doors open. I don't acknowledge any nurses or doctors as I make my way to Michaels room and push open his door. "Morning, Michael Gray." I greet watching as a grin spreads across his face.

"Morning, Aurora Shelby. What do I owe this pleasure?" He asks, glancing back down at his work. "I am here to occupy myself and keep you, my love, company." I grin sitting on the bed gently, placing a hand over my stomach to feel my small baby bump. "I'm doing work, Rory." Michael sighs, looking down at the sheets around him. "Then I will help, Michael." I tell him.

"I think you forget Michael, I was a Peaky Blinder long before you were on the scenes and doing twice as much paper work." I mumble, taking my glasses from my jacket pocket and slip them on my face. "You wear glasses?" Michael grins, his eyebrows teasing as he watches me scan through the sheet with furrowed eyebrows and concentration. "I do indeed. Well done for noticing." I say sarcastically. "There's a lot you still don't know about me." I tell him, winking.

"What next, you gonna tell me you're pregnant again?" He jokes as my face drops and I frown. "Rory?" He calls as I look up at him. "Rory, are you...are you pregnant again?" He asks and I sigh. "Yeah, three months." I admit and he puts down the paper he's holding. "Does anyone know?" He asks. "Only you." I tell him.

"Are you okay?" He asks me softly and I nod. "Yeah." I grumble and he reaches over to grab my hand. "You're not on your own, Rory. We're all here." He tells me and I chuckle softly. "I'm scared, in all honestly. This war is going on and I've already got one child to worry about and now I've got another. I don't what to do." I tell him.

"I think that's natural for any mum, but like I said you're not on your own. You've got me." He tells me, giving me a warm smile. I glance up and notice a nurse had creeped into the ward just as Michael notices her. A set of specific nurses have been set to Michael that Polly had requested so this new nurse was suspicious as she didn't meet Michaels or my eye as she hurries her pace like she's uninvited.

"What are you doing?" Michael asks her, his voice breaking the silence. My eyebrow raises as the woman snapped Michaels bag closed, the one which held his gun. Michael raises to his feet in temper as do I, following after the woman as I hear Michael fall.

A gunshot rings out and I hurry back inside Michaels room, jogging towards Michael as I help back onto the bed. "Michael, it's-" my sentence gets cut off as Luca Changretta walks in the room. I stand in front of Michael on instinct, my eyes scanning over he stupid toothpick perched between his lips before towards the gun in his hand. Michael reaches out and grabs one of my hands in his own trembling one as Luca turns and locks the door.

"Uh-uh-uh." Luca grumbles, stepping towards us. "Where I come from, a hat on the bed is unlucky. My family say it brings death. Maybe...maybe that's what happened. Last time my man was sent for you, you got lucky." He teases, giving me a once over as I glare at him.

We stand in silence, a stare down between the two of us as if in a chess game where both of us think over our next move. Luca slowly takes his gun, and raises it to my forehead. "Rory. Move." Michael demands but it falls on death ears as I smile at Changretta, feeling the cold top of the gun pressed against my skin.

"One of you is going to die here today. I'll let you both decide who it is." Luca promises. "Shoot me." I shrug my shoulders. "Enlighten me and shoot me." I say as Michaels face falls as he hears my words. "You care for him." Luca states. "He's my family. But I know your next move." I murmur. "It looks like your lucks run out." Luca states as he moves his finger to the trigger.

"No, wait! She's pregnant!" Michael yells making Luca freeze as I sigh. "You're pregnant?" Luca asks looking down at my stomach. "Yes." I growl. "Let me guess, Thomas fucking Shelby knocked you up again?" He asks and my glare returns. "What do you think?" I ask, my words coming out harshly.

Luca nods, stepping back and aims the gun Michael. His eyes still on me as he pulls the trigger but to no avail, there is no bullet. Luca smirks around his toothpick as I don't flinch. "I'll see you soon, Aurora." He says, beginning to exit the room. "And Michael, tell your mother we have a deal." He calls before disappearing.

I sit back on the bed and Michael pulls me into his arms, wrapping me in a hug. "You're crazy, Rory. What we're you thinking?" He asks, glaring at me. "I wasn't." I tell him shrugging.

******

Tommys POV

I was known as one of the bravest men to storm the earth but my strong supposed composure crumbled beneath me when I realised Changretta hadn't come for Arthur, so instead had gone after Michael. Michael who is in the hospital. The same hospital I had sent Aurora too.  It was like a jigsaw puzzle connecting in my mind as I ran towards the hospital and down the familiar route to the ward Michael is in.

When I push open the first doors, my eyes land on the Blinder dead on the floor, blood trialed from his body. I resist the urge to let out a sob at site as I register my mind to see the love of my life dead inside the next set of doors. I rush towards the doors, my eyes cast down, too afraid to look in the windows as I hammer on the doors.

Letting out an aggravated kick, I stand back, watching as Arthur raises his gun, shooting the lock of with ease. I burst through the doors seeing Aurora and Michael sitting on the bed, unharmed. "My god." I murmur as I rush over to Aurora, pulling her up and into my arms. "You're alive. You're alive. You're alive." I repeat over and over, still in shock.

"I'm alive, Tommy." She repeats, pulling back to look into my eyes as she nods in reassurance. "I'm alive." She says as I grasp her in my arms, too afraid to let her go as I glance towards Arthur for a split second. "Michael? What happened, eh? What happened?" Arthur demands. "They heard you, they heard you coming. The gun misfired. They ran away." Michael tells us timidly.

"Johnny!" Arthur barks, leaving out the door. "You came just in time." Michael says softly as I keep my eyes on Aurora, not looking at him. "You both alright? Neither of you are hurt?" I ask. "I'm fine. He didn't physically attack us." Michael tells me. "No, but he was going to." Aurora grumbles. "He put his gun to her head, Tommy. Aurora was prepared to take a bullet for me. Dared him to shoot her." Michael rambles as Aurora glares at him. "I didn't peg you for a snitch Michael." She curses.

I glare into Aurora eyes, not finding her comment amusing. "Do you not learn, baby?" I grumble as she shrugs. "I guess not." She says as I sit down in a chair. "I thought I'd arrive and you'd both be dead." I admit, resting my knuckles against my chin. Aurora sits down on my lap, and I rest my head against her shoulder. "I thought you were dead." I sigh in relief.