Home Again

Black Suits

*insert Brummie accents*

~

"Look, how much do you want? I'll pay you if you let me go right here." T.J. said to his captor.

They had parked just outside the family compound, right through the gates. They began walking to the front door.

"C'mon, whatever you want, I'll pay." Junior tried to make eye contact with the man who held him hostage, but he could not deter the man's ironclad focus, nor his ironclad grip. "It wouldn't be the first time I got lost, mate."

The man knocked on the huge oak doors with the cast iron knocker. Then he managed a look in T.J's direction. "Your bad habit of getting 'lost' is why she keeps sending us to find you. Now, shut up. You're annoying me."

The huge doors slowly rolled open and Thomas made one last desperate attempt to get away; it was futile. He could never get away from these bloody black suits.

A butler stood in the doorway and Junior avoided eye contact.

"Hello?" The butler said to the two men warily.

"I've got a package for Polly Shelby." Junior's captor said as he raised Junior's arm a smidge.

It was then that the butler recognized him.

"Master Shelby, is that you?"

T.J. quit trying to hide his face. "Yes... it's me." He said with a sigh.

"You're absence was unexpected, sir. You've been sorely missed."

"Thanks, Alex. Now do as the man says for Christ sakes. Escort us in."

"Right sir." He eyed the larger gentleman. "Right this way."

~

The inside of the mansion looked just as Junior remembered it. He'd only been away a few weeks. The paintings still regally hung on the walls and the lamps and light fixtures still exuded their useless décor. The halls sounded just as empty as he walked through them and the staff looked just as timid to see him, maybe more.

When he was in Polly's quarters, his abductor stopped. "I believe you know your way from here kid."

Junior sighed and kept going. Rubbing his temples and taking a deep sigh, he kept his head down. This wasn't the first time he'd run away or the first time he'd gotten caught. But it seemed that each time he was caught, Polly's reaction grew worse. He had no hope for the encounter he was about to have and could only hope that he would leave the room alive.

He stopped at the appropriate door, knocked, and waited.

"Come in."

He sighed again and pushed the door open. He stepped into the room. Polly was at the opposite end, facing the window and smoking a cigarette. She turned and faced him. "You're back... Did you have fun?"

He looked to the floor.

"Answer me."

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes ma'am." He cold blue eyes met hers. She was visibly softened but she didn't relinquish her control over him.

"Why'd you run this time?"

"Same reasons. I'm not smart enough to run the legal business and I refuse to kill people so I'm no help in the illegal one-"

"Oh, stop bitching."

"You wanted the truth. The truth is I can't do this anymore. I can't live under my father's dark twisted shadow. I can't see his face everyday knowing that...that I'm not good enough." His eyes drifted to the floor. "I can't."

"It's not always about your father."

"Yeah? Then what the fuck is it about then?" His gaze was cruel. "What is this," he motioned to the house, "if not the fucking Thomas Shelby pictureshow?"

"It's about your mother."

"My mother...don't talk about my mother like she cares about stopping anything my father does. Like she cares if he disowns me or hates me or gives a damn-"

"Thomas Shelby Junior she cares about you. She's the one who sent after you."

He looked at her for a measure of the clock's ticks.

"I thought you did."

"She asked me to. What would you do if you had a father and a son to reconcile? You won't fucking speak to him, even if she asked you to."

"That's not true."

"Yeah? When's the last time you spoke to him?"

"I...Well, it..." he thought.

"When's the last time you didn't have to relay a message through her? You think he's got her wrapped around his little finger and you're right...but so do you. And it's killing her."

More ticks from the clock.

"Well, what do you expect? You should've just left me out there to make my own way. I was...I was fine." His heart ached.

"You don't mean that, Junior." She pulled her cigarette from her mouth and put it out.

"Don't call me that, okay. I'm leaving."

"Just talk to your parents, Thomas."

But he was out of the door. 

~ 

Pretty short but pretty sweet. More to come!

Heads up: soo the actor that plays Isaiah (the character Thomas Jr is based off of), Jordan Bolger, is only in a few scenes over the course of the seasons so I'll probably show other actors and models that fit his physical description from time to time. 

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote and comment!