HUMBLE BEGINNINGS || T. SHELBY (1)

THIRTY-SIX (EDITED)

Michael's eyes widened at the news and he turned to Tabitha with a small smile. Tabitha gave a a faint one, not really feeling anything at the moment. Other than her love for Thomas and the baby inside her, she felt numb, she felt nothing.

"Congratulations," Michael said.

Tabitha only nodded, not saying anything's but Thomas knew something was wrong. His eyes were on Tabitha and his expression was stoic, a fresh cigarette in between his finger. Then he turned to Michael, downing his glass of whiskey.

"Michael, me and Tabitha need to talk in private for a moment," Thomas told the boy.

"Oh...okay," Michael said with a nod.

Michael got up and quickly left, closing the door so they wouldn't be disturbed. Tabitha got up from her chair as Thomas got up from his desk. He walked over to her casually, but his eyes were soft and his fingers brushed over her cheek tenderly.

"What's wrong, what's happened?" Thomas asked, his voice soft.

Tabitha didn't answer right away, her eyes looking down at the carpet before she finally spoke.

"Grace is dead," Tabitha said, the guilt in her voice.

"What?" Thomas asked, his eyes widened.

Tabitha nodded as the years were forming in her eyes again, "Grace came to find me at Epsom, found me in the stables while May went to go change clothes. She said she was going to leave her husband and she tried to get me to leave you and leave with her to New York. I told her I couldn't go and that I'm pregnant and she just went crazy."

Tears we're streaming down Tabitha's face as Thomas's expression hardened with anger.

"What did she do?" Thomas said, the anger in his voice.

"She pulled out a gun and pointed it at my head and then she pointed it at my belly," Tabitha continued. "We were arguing back and forth how she was the only one good enough to deserve me and how horrible a person you were. She told me she loved me but when she was about to pull the trigger, I beat her to it."

Thomas was even more shocked. The only person Tabitha had ever killed was Billy Kimber, but it was because he hurt Thomas first, but if was different for her with Grace. Tabitha was the first and only one to shoot.

"I killed her, Tommy," Tabitha sobbed, her hands and the rest of her body shaking. "I shot her in the head and her blood was on my face. It's all my fault. I killed my best friend!"

Thomas immediately wrapped his arms around Tabitha, putting her head in his chest. She loudly sobbed into his chest as he tried to call her down, rubbing her hair softly.

"It's okay, Tab," Thomas whispered. "She was going to hurt you and the baby. If you didn't pull that trigger then you wouldn't be here right now surrounded by the people who love you. Killing a person you once cared about isn't easy, but you have to do it to survive. And now we can be happy together...with our child."

Thomas grabbed her chin, making her look up at him with red, puffy eyes from the tears. Thomas wiped them away with his thumb, faintly smiling, happy the love of his life was still in his arms.

"Forever and always?" Tabitha asked softly, her voice cracking.

"Forever and always."

__________________________

IT WAS THREE MONTHS LATER, AND THE YEAR WAS 1923.