ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : achilles come down - gang of youths
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻
iv. twenty-five: ❝family day (or not)❞
✵✵✵
Small heath, Birmingham
Marianna and Thomas had not slept much that night, but they also did not talk to one another at all. They only lay in bed side by side, embracing the consoling warmth that emanates from one another; at home, in Thomas's consciousness.
The two rest there, watching the shadows abandon the sky, light repaving and helping bring faith to anyone and everyone. A new day to be better, to atone for one's misdeeds. However, things work differently for Thomas Shelby. Because he came to know that with each fresh day he saw, there'd be sins lying in wait for someone like him to perpetrate, and the day after that, and the one after that. It's a never-ending loop, inside which he keeps dragging the female bartender.
A loop of transgressions that could either help bolster Marianna James by his side or end up making her utterly despise him and consider leaving.
The next day, at ten a.m., Thomas, Arthur, Diego, and Marianna walk through the muddy trail towards where John and the other blinders have all been queuing up.
Earlier that early morning, Thomas and Polly had a heated argument because Polly wanted Mar to join her, hoping to keep the woman out of distress for quite a while, and yet Thomas demanded that Mar remain next to him, not willing to divert his full attention from her in any way to sustain her safety.
As predicted, the woman felt like shit. All she wished to do was seal herself in her house, and yet she probably wouldn't be able to because Zilpha expected her to attend the wedding, and it'd be unimaginable for her not to witness this momentous occasion in her best friend's life.
"John, Ready?" Thomas went to ask as the four of them arrived at the scene.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." John replied, and Marianna could sense John's delayed reaction to the inquiry. He may be stupid at times, but he is not shortsighted.
"Have a drink." Arthur said, handing over his flask to John, who gladly accepted it and drank the contents.
As they all watch John Shelby drink, the air all around them dilates, and so as he manages to finish, handing back the flask to Arthur, his gaze manages to land on Mar, who's already looking directly at him with conflicting feelings crafted in her retina.
His stare then shifted around the others. He started to notice that, like Mar, everybody was standing there looking at him with heed in their eyes.
"What? What are you all staring at me for? What?" John asked, his typical tantrum flaring.
When Thomas noticed his brother's uneasiness, he decided to check on Mar to see if she was alright, and indeed the woman gave him a nod, of the kind that he did take as a sign to proceed, "Good. Let's go."
The men and Marianna traipse towards the highlands route, her on Thomas' right and Arthur on his left, with John still asking around.
When they reached the encampment's entrance, she could feel her heart in her throat. Though she was aware that the day was meant to be filled with joyful moments, the tension that the Lees and the Blinders were experiencing seeped into her soul. The energy makes her feel much worse than she did previously.
"What are you playing at, Tommy? We're at the shotgun range, and what is Marianna doing with us?" John asked, his gaze fixed on the gypsy woman in front.
Everybody ground to a standstill when he asked those questions.
"John," Thomas began, having to face his brother, "before you go into battle, there's something you're going to need." And everyone, almost on cue, ropes out the corsage they'd been saving. He brought his gaze back to Marianna and handed her the small flower he was holding.
Mar approached John's upset figure, sucking down the anxiousness, and yet she did speak when he was about to. "I told you your sweetheart was on her way."
Squinting into the female's hazel green eyes, John's jaw dropped. He'd been itching for a fight and was awaiting one as they approached Lee's territory. He ached as he witnessed Mar pin the boutonniere on the left lapel of his plaid jacket. The gypsy girl steps back after putting the flower in, letting Thomas do the talking. John's gaze was drawn to his brother.
He clenched his teeth as he questioned his brother, "What are you bloody doing, Tommy?"
"Smile, John, it's a wedding." Thomas explained, his hands cupped around his brother's face.
"Whose bloody wedding?" John asked once more, his eyes frantically seeking answers as they settled on the gypsy female's familiar piercing eyes.
Marianna averted her gaze. She just can not endure looking at her buddy's cheated expression. Her cousin was hanging by her side, a soothing hand on her arm.
"Now, if we told you. You wouldn't have come. There's a girl in the Lee family who's gone a bit wild and she needs marrying off." Thomas tried to explain gradually, but his strategy didn't seem to work as John tried to shove him to the corner.
The commotion nearly hit Mar, but Diego was quick enough to move her out of the way as John battled around the blinders that were preventing him from fleeing. When Thomas saw how the girl had almost gotten hurt, he knew he had to put an end to John's outbursts.
Thomas hollered staunchly, "John." after urging the girl far enough away.
"You have no bloody right, Tommy." John bellowed.
"Shh. Shh. Listen to me, listen to me!" He tried to deter his brother by exposing his true intentions. "A girl who needs a husband, a man who needs a wife..." he said, pushing their gazes into one another.
Marianna chose to disregard the discussion as she decided to move away from the fight, choosing to wait at the pinnacle of the entry for them all to successfully complete their talk. She couldn't bear the deceit she committed against her friend. She and Thomas both knew they had no right to do it. And the guilt is getting to her.
For the past several days, her culpability had been nibbling away at her like a five-star dish from some posh restaurant.
✵
Following the long, tedious, and intense dialogue, the group moved deeper into the Lee's territory. Marianna has so far been directing them toward the Vardo, where they should meet Zilpha.
The blinders followed as Mar came to a halt across from Zilpha's Vargo.
She cleared her throat as Arthur showed up beside her. With her right hand, she asked Zilpha, motioning to John. "Will he do?"
The two clans were enshrouded in passivity. While waiting for the Lee matriarch's answer, some blinders exchanged worried looks. Thomas peered over at Mar, not out of dread that the elderly woman would repudiate John, but out of praise.
Zilpha's neutral appearance fell on her friend's dearest daughter as she responded, "He'll do."
Everyone cheered, not just the Blinders but also the Lees, and for the first time that day, Thomas noticed a vibrant glimmer on the James lady's face as she glanced at John in glee. She is overjoyed that her friend is about to meet his lasting love.
✵
Thomas' gaze drifted all around the wedding reception. Despite the swampy ground, it was the object behind Johnny Dogs that drew his interest. "You made that?" he asked, bumping Mar on the left.
"Not just me; the majority of the Lees helped." The woman replied gently, but the discussion piqued Arthur and John's interest, prompting them to turn around to face the couple as they waited for the bride to arrive.
"Did you bloody woman really help Tommy with all of this?" John dared to ask, his tone full of delight, but she sensed the breach of trust he realised in her deeds.
"Would you really reckon Zilpha would pay heed to Thomas' words alone?" Mar joked, but the displacement in her speech kept her from neglecting what had happened the night before.
"I presumed my brother had been wanting to get rid of me after having known that I proposed to you." John smirked before adding.
Arthur chuckled, and the lady's face brightened with a slight grin as she looked over to Thomas, who'd stiffened. Not allowing the humiliation to wash over his brother, John continued, "Don't stress, Tommy. Marianna turned me down for one reason in particular."
John's gaze drew deeper into Thomas', signalling that for once, he must take the initiative and drag the woman there next to him towards the aisle.
If Thomas was too audacious to plan the wedding for his brother since his brother needed to, he must've been fucking dumb not to notice that he, as well, required to be wedded, and the missus he should've had all along was standing next to him.
However, the scene was shortened when Thomas tried to downplay the discussion by saying, "Here she is." and the four of them saw John's bride walk down the aisle.
"She'd be better under fifty." John grumbled to Marianna, and the woman chuckled, trying to reach over and softly pat his cheek.
"Come here." Thomas said from behind Mar, and she turned around to see the man removing the stick from John's mouth.
Mar sighed and grinned at John, "Go on. She's there, like I guaranteed."
John smiled politely, gazing down at his friend before walking away to where he had been supposed to be. Marianna is left next to whom she should be with, and it is not by his side, but by his brother's.
✵
Following the ceremony, John and Esme, John's wife, shared their first kiss. Mar and Thomas were among those who cheered and clapped wildly, happy for the Shelby man, who had received another gift on top of his family.
That evening, the Lee and Shelby families cavorted together, intoxicated and loud out of their psyches. The war has ended, and thereby, another remarkable thing has begun: a fresh start for two troubled people. Mar was relieved to see that John adored his wife, as did Esme; her vision had not failed her. They were unquestionably kindred spirits.
The venue was full of various clamours, such as men retching the booze they couldn't force down, serenading of various melodies, women chanting and chortling, and children gyrating. The female James sat at a table with Zilpha and Thomas, holding a cigarette in her left hand and a glass of rum in her right. She could hear Arthur and Diego howling with laughter as they witnessed their buddy, John, go through bottle upon bottle of alcohol.
All of it appeared to be at ease, but somehow it didn't last very long as Polly reached their place, looking strained from all the hooting, hollering, and drinking. The James lady's gaze was drawn to a specific individual, who had been leaping and twirling around with a bottle of whiskey in her hand, something which made her wince in disdain as she knew the woman was heavily pregnant.
"You should tell Ada to slow down." Polly said to Thomas, almost on cue.
Mar rolled her eyes at Polly's commands, converting her gaze to Zilpha, who gave her a small smile. They both heard Tommy jeer as he replied, "You think she'll listen to me?"
"When did she ever listen to you?" Mar snickered, the liquor in her system numbing all her anxieties.
"I tried to stop her, but she's been drinking." Polly incorporated, prompting the youngest gypsy at the table to crack up.
"What do we expect from someone who has been trapped in that tiny basement for weeks?" Mar said.
The Shelby matriarch forestalled her gaze from the woman's path, wanting to add. "She's been going off like a firecracker."
The four of them stood there and watched Ada loop the main stage, grooving with a broad, bright smile.
Mar considers the view marvellous and amusing, which had to be an impact of the drink, because if she were sober right now, she would've been dragging the Shelby girl down on the chair and holding her hostage on that seat.
"She's so adorable." Mar exclaimed as she watched Ada. Thomas' brow furrowed as he heard the James woman giggle next to him.
Thomas decided to stand up and whispered in Mar's ear, "Stay here."
"Oh, of course, I'll sit myself here like a good girl, Mr. Shelby." Mar exhaled, turning her head towards Thomas, their faces centimetres apart.
The man's frown bolstered as he attempted to keep a smug smile from forming. He shrugged, his lips pursed, and proceeded to reach his sister, who had gone wild.
"All right, Ada. Come on, have a rest. Sit down." Thomas said over his sister's glee. which had not been treated lightly by the drunk girl, who had been irate, that her brother won't make everything simpler for her, primarily her marital life.
"Come on and look, Esme. Come on and look at the family you've joined. Come on and look at the man who runs it." Ada exclaimed, causing the crowd to cease having a blast.
Mar, who was sipping her drink, stopped for a moment and offered them a peek, groaning as she saw Ada's rage for her brother, which had been fueled by the alcohol in her system. "Oh, this would be a huge amount of fun."
Ada proceeded her diatribe, mocking Thomas for how much he has done and continues to do that directly impacts her and Freddie's lives. Thomas failed to stop her, and the rest of the Shelbys rushed to his assistance; the Lees were revelling in the main premise.
While the only Shelby sister's yells get stronger, Arthur, John, and Aunt Polly try to comfort her a little bit. Mar excused herself from Zilpha, intending to take part in the commotion.
"Ada!" Polly attempted to stop her, and yet Marianna appeared from the side, lightly clutching the girl.
"Ada, come on." Mar tried to say, even though she was not heard, and Ada persisted in her hostility.
"Sit her down!" John had said to two gypsy seers next to the Shelby girl, concerned about his sister's baby and distraught by what had happened at his wedding.
"Calm down, Ada." Polly said as Ada's inhalation began to truncate, her grip on Mar's arm stiffened, and the James woman started feeling the rush of the present time wash over her.
Mar's big hazel eyes met Thomas' as she felt Ada's water break on her feet, and they got to hear Polly curse out, realising that the situation had induced the baby Thorne's untimely birth.
"Lead us back to the house." Mar ordered, and Thomas nodded.
As the women panicked, Arthur exasperatedly told his sister, "Not now, Ada! Bloody hell, you do pick your times."
Which elicited a nasally bit of a chuckle from Mar, and they guided the girl towards the car, unconcerned about the blood that would get on the seats; their primary concern being the stability of the baby as well as the Shelby girl.
✵
Polly and Marianna directed the Shelby girl up a flight of stairs of the Shelby household without looking back, not squandering any moment with the girl in labour's wails of agonising pain.
Polly instructed the James woman to get some warm water as well as a clean cloth for the procedure. Knowing what to get and what to do as she've experienced the same proceduce before, Mar was left getting the stuff ready when she got to hear a car coming the pavers, and Esme smiled at her as she approached the door.
"Where is Ada?" she asks softly.
Mar responded, "Up the stairs, to the left." before being dragged by Polly towards the entrance, only to then be met by the Shelby brothers trying to escape the scene.
Polly made a point of saying, causing the leader's focus back to the door, "One man should be here."
"Indeed, Tommy, that's the cheapest you could do for Ada and her baby." Mar said as her gaze met the Shelby man's icy blue eyes. She felt for the girl, she too wanted the presence of the man she loved during the same events before.
Nodding his head, she acknowledged that Thomas had loosened that night. She saw the Thomas she remembered, and tears welled up in her eyes as she heard his reply, "You're both right. Freddie should be here."
"Is that a heartbeat I hear inside that chest?" Polly wondered aloud, surprised by her nephew's speedy reaction.
Mar laughed, and yet she felt sure that even under varying situations, Thomas would consent to the inkling. He cherished Ada more than he cherished his company, but it's always been outshined by his flaws.
"The truce lasts till sunrise," Thomas simply responded, his gaze falling on the lovely lady next to his aunt. "On my oath, Mar. Tell Freddie it's safe."
Without further ado, the two seers dashed inside the residence and up the stairs, jubilantly shouting the Shelby girl's name.
✵
The labour had taken a far longer time than anticipated, Ada and Freddie's baby appeared to be unprepared to face the real world as Ada endured the agony of labour and delivery whilst also clenching the hand of the James woman, who felt as if her fingers were about to fall off.
"Keep going, that's right." While Aunt Pol delicately directed her niece, Esme attempted her hardest to comfort her sister-in-law, who was in distress.
"Breathe Ada, okay, you're doing great..." Mar said daintily to the woman's right, attempting to be her support while they waited for Freddie.
In the midst of them ordering the push, Esme tilted forward, feeling under Ada's abdomen, attempting to discover the child in the womb. "I think it might be the wrong way round. I attended three sisters."
"I think you're right." Pol replied.
Mar clamped her hold on Ada's hand, searching between the two in ambiguity, and then said, "We should move her forward."
Thus, as they assisted the girl through giving birth, the James female attempted her best to hold back her weeping as she listened to Ada's agonising shrieks.
Her sentiments are drifting to an image of herself in the situation, a flashback, and she laments of how it could have been if she didn't lost her child. That despite her being young then, it could have change the course of her life. Think about the hardships of having to carry the foetus in her for nine months then losing it in just a snap of moment still send punctures in her hearts.
On the other side of the area inside the Garrison, the Irish barmaid tended to the Shelby brothers' needs. Many of them are celebrating John Shelby's marriage and the current event of their only sister giving birth.
John attempted to flee, reiterating his phrases, but Arthur stalled him while pouring him one more glass of whiskey. The barmaid kept asking a very personal question within the nook, which the two Shelbys didn't take umbrage to, as they were both partially incapacitated at the time.
"Tommy said it's alright for him to be there. Isn't that right, Tommy?" John managed to say to Grace, directing his statement to Grace and the man behind her.
"That's right," Thomas said lightheartedly, "I'm all heart tonight."
The image of the James woman crossed his mind, and he fell into a euphoric state for a few brief seconds. Grace leaving the room brings him back to reality, forcing him to clear his throat prior to actually having a drink from his glass.
"You know what, John?" Arthur started laughing, falling his hand over John's shoulder, "I think it's our lovely Mar, that pretty young girl who's aided Tommy with the Lees and is now assisting our sister bear a child. That's made our brother all soft."
Thomas only responded with a huge grin, not attempting to deny his older brother's assumption, chortling as his sentiments returned to the lovely honey-blonde girl who had been his pillar for the previous years.
The brothers continued the conversation by teasing Thomas concerning Mar and reminiscing about their younger years when they conveyed their passionate love. The Shelby man hoped that the very same passion would have been rekindled. Maybe they'll be able to when they wake up the following morning.
Not long after, the three women, along with Ada and Freddie's newborn son, sat in the warm kitchen of the Shelby home. Freddie has yet to appear, but they know he's on his way, running through the pavements in both fear and excitement.
Mar smiled as she looked down at Ada and the baby in her arms, cooing as she tried to stop the baby's cries and said, "He's loud... like his father."
This earned a laugh from Pol and Ada.
"There you go, Love." Pol handed Mar a warm cup of tea, which she gladly took and let the elderly woman sit on the chair beside her.
"He's beautiful." Pol commented, her heart full of delight while staring at the little human.
As if Freddie had heard Mar's remark about him, he appeared by the kitchen door, drenched in sweat and panting profusely - it did remind her of Ada's condition just minutes before while she was in labour.
The other women in the room moved out of the way to allow the child's father to walk to his family. Mar couldn't hold back the tears as she looked at the picture in front of her; a small family of trouble, as she'd put it - a beautiful family.
They stood by the doorway and watched Freddie hold his son for the first time in his life, something that he will remember forever. The man stared at his baby in awe and amazement, not believing that such a beautiful thing was made by him and his love. At that moment, he promised to himself that he'd bring no harm to their way. He considered stopping his ways and living a righteous life just for his wife and son's safety.
It's such a beautiful moment, but it was rudely interrupted by an obnoxious knock on the door, "Open up! Police!"
The gypsy James was enraged by the disruptions and turned to face Esme. They were walking down the hallway when they heard the door slam open.
"What the fuck are you all bloody doing here?" Marianna exclaimed.
The coppers, on the other hand, didn't waste any time in replying, pushing her aside as they attempted to enter.
"You cannot come in here! There's a baby that's just been born." Esme said as she held Mar before she hit the wall.
Once the cops showed up within the kitchen, the woman's pleas and yelling were ignored, and Mar's heart quivered in anguish as she heard Ada yelling for her husband's name.
"Stop. Not here, not now." Mar said as she pushed her way into the kitchen and saw Freddie being dragged by the cops. He wasn't even struggling when the cops slammed him against the wall.
He began trying to fight when he finally understood this could be the first and last time he'd see his family.
Mar approached Ada's side, her eyes welling up as she witnessed her friend being forcibly removed from his newborn son and wife.
The wailing of the voices in her head flooded out the hollering and yelling.
She could only close her eyes in agony from the scene and her own head, reaching for Ada and her son.
Polly had been left apoplectic, whereas Marianna remained next to Ada, embracing her as she wailed. At the time, the woman felt helpless. She had no inkling of what had just gone terribly wrong. It's thought to be a happy day for the Shelbys. Everything was intended to be a dual joyous occasion, and it all fell by the wayside due to the fucking coppers.
"Shh. Ada, it's alright. Freddie will be alright." She consoled, though she foolishly thought that she didn't really believe her utterances.
"It's Tommy." Ada cried, desperately looking for her face while holding the baby between them. "It's got to be him. He brought me to the wedding in hopes of drawing Freddie."
The Shelby matriarch ended up giving Mar a piercing glare, questioning if she happened to know much about it. She'd spent much more time with Thomas than any other in the household over the last few days, so who knew if she'd helped him arrange all of it up?
Shaking her head and forcing the tears inside she says, "I only knew about the wedding, I helped Thomas talk to Zilpha Lee in order to bring peace to the war. I-" gulping she met Ada's eyes, showing her that she's truthful, "I have no knowledge of his other businesses, other than the one concerning the Lee lineage."
Upon hearing that Polly stormed out of the house, bursting open the door leaving Ada, Marianna and then the new addition to the family, Esme inside.
Guiding Ada to her bed and placing a soft cushion behind her, Mar turned towards Esme who was astounded by all the events that happened in front of her.
"Welcome to the Shelby household." she smiled though it didn't reach her eyes.
Her thoughts drifted to the pub where Thomas was drinking, and Polly was on him, trying to get him to admit that he was the one who snitched to the coppers, while the real rat smirked behind the bar.
✵✵✵
Mar, who was sipping her drink, stopped for a moment and offered them a peek, groaning as she saw Ada's rage for her brother, which had been fueled by the alcohol in her system.
"Oh, this would be a huge amount of fun."
4212 words.
EDITED.
kindly vote and comment! :>
author's note: ngl I wrote this chapter in a span of a week,,, the writer's block is that intense.