• STRANGER • A Thomas Shelby Fanfic •

(4)

He starts, slowly making his way towards me. "It's my fault. I've created enemies who've threaten me, threatened you."

I hold my breath as he reaches out for me, slowly, Tommy's hand stretches over my bare knees, "I never thought they would take you away though. 'Lia, you were gone for a month."

"And you," My eyes water. "You couldn't find me?"

"No." He admits. "I couldn't."

"Why not?" I ask him, shaking my head as a tear falls from my eye. I lean in our noses so close to touching. "You should have looked harder..."

"I know." He said, nodding. Thomas slowly reached for my chin, and gently his thumb over my chin. "God, I was awake for weeks searching for you."

My eyes look behind Tommy, looking at the knife that sits on the counter behind him. I have an impulse to go towards it, piercing the sharp blade into his neck. A voice comes to me, the voice of an Irish man who presses his mouth against my neck.

Tears ran down my face as he kisses me softly, his hands sliding under my dress. He had taken the headphones off of me and told me to repeat the words: kill Thomas Shelby over and over again. And like a robot, he had programmed me to somehow do that this morning.

Kill Thomas Shelby.

And whenever I refused, he would put the headphones back on my ears and force me to listen to the screaming sound.

The knife that sits on the counter is tempting, but what's more tempting is the man who stands before me, touching my chin with a sad smile on his face.

"An Irish man took me." I whisper, right before remembering the loud sound of a gunshot. The marketplace! The marketplace! "I was in a market when I was taken." The fresh smell of flowers and Philip's laugh as he told me a story about how much his wife loved roses. "And Philip!" I gasp, my hand flying up to my mouth. "Philip!" He was shot and killed. "Oh my God!"

"How are you able to remember-"

"I don't know." I murmur. "Does Philip's wife know?!" I whisper staring into Tommy's blue eyes.

"Of course she knows." Tommy nods. "Do you remember who it was who took you?" He gets really serious.

"I-I can't put a name or face to the voice." Everything from then on is a blur.

"That's okay, my love." Thomas leans in and kisses my forehead. He puts his hand behind my head. "I'm so proud of you."

I freeze until he gets off of me. Despite him feeling like home, I still have my limits. Limits I'll need to put to the back of my mind soon, whether I like it or not, I want to remember everything.

"I can't understand why this happened to me..." I tell him, once he pulls back. My eyebrows pull together.

"That's the only way people can get to me. Is through you." Thomas's blue eyes meet mine. "They tried to hurt you to get to me, but I'll never let anything like that happen to you again, 'Lia." He looks at me, and this time a weird feeling raced over me. "I'll keep you safe. I made that promise a long time ago to you, and I'm sorry I let you down. That was the first and last time, I swear. I won't let anything ever happen to you again."

I reach for him, without considering it and press my lips against his. It's the thought that drove me to madness and as I kiss him, do I feel his lips still before, finally, he kisses me back. I shut my eyes, remembering the buzzing sound, the screams from the headphones. My hands ball up into fists that fall over his chest, my heart races against my chest. I try to get my brain to settle, and my heart to want this man as badly as he wants me.