Tilly laid beside Penny both asleep while Jacob slept on the floor when Ada burst into her younger sister's bedroom. "As much as I love the three of you, Pol and Tom will be back soon and I really can't have another lecture from the two of them about Pen and Jacob staying over without their knowledge let alone them sneaking in through the window." The sound of Ada's voice Jacob jumped up while Tilly and Penny stirred slowly. "Tilda, Pen, I'm serious. Get up," Ada shook them until Tilly opened her eyes.
"Only Arthur and Finn call me Tilda, you call me Tilly," the younger brunette spoke quietly while sitting up.
"School starts soon, you need to be dressed and these two need to be gone," Ada reminded the three teens with a pointed look.
"Alright, calm down," the younger Shelby retorted before nudging Penny once again and looking over to Jacob who was already standing up, smiling at the brunette who was rubbing her eyes while they waited for Penny so they could walk back home and face the fury of their mothers.
Once the three were ready, Tilly walked past Finn who was smoking. "Don't tell Tommy please," the boy begged his sister.
"What's in it for me?" she asked.
"You'll be my favourite sister," Finn bargained.
"Um no, I already am because I give you my sweets, next," Tilly laughed.
"Um I'll talk Arthur into letting you be at the next family meeting?" he bargained again.
"For a ten year old, you are a good negotiator, definitely a Shelby, deal," Tilly held her hand out for him to shake. "I'm eleven on Sunday!" he protested.
"Yes but Finnegan, it's not Sunday yet so you're still ten years old, if you want me to keep your secret habit a secret you better keep your mouth shut," she warned him.
The brunette opened the door leading to the front door, Jacob and Penny following when the door swung open and the teens stood frozen. "Shit," Tilly swore before sending Tommy an awkward smile and wave.
"Matilda, seriously?" Tommy sighed, folding his arms over his chest to look at the three frozen teens. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep so early-" she tried to excuse herself but Tommy cut in.
"You forget I know when you're lying and Jacob isn't quiet when he's climbing through your window and your room is right next to mine so I know your lying anyway."
Tilly looked down at her shoes, finding them particularly interesting at this moment before Tommy cleared his throat, "This is the last time they sneak in, either use the door like normal people or get here at an earlier time. This is also the last time I'm covering for you with Pol."
"Thank you!" the girl sighed and ran to hug her brother, winding him in the process. While Tilly was hugging Tommy the other two teens took that as their cue to escape, on their way past they bid their goodbyes to the girl and Tommy.
The siblings made their way into the betting shop, Tommy's arm around her shoulders. On their way past they saw Finn sitting by the fire Tilly's eyes narrowing at him as they watched him throw the cigarette into the fire.
"Finn?" Tommy called out walking closer to him, Tilly following.
"Arthur's mad as hell," Finn told his older siblings attempting to change the subject. The two watched Tommy pick up the cigarette with a sigh and hold it in front of the young boy's face before throwing it back into the fire. "What does a ten year old know about hell, eh?" Tommy asked, tapping the boy with his cap.
"I'm eleven Sunday," Finn protested again but this time to his brother instead of his sister.
Tilly leaned down in front of her brother. "He said you can join this one," Finn informed his sister. With a squeeze of his shoulder and a smile the girl left to follow on after Tommy.
Tilly made a beeline for John who was writing on the chalkboard. "Guess who's allowed to the next family meeting," she said in a sing-song voice.
"Finn?" he asked joking.
"No, idiot, me," she said with a smile punching his shoulder.
"I'll be back in just a minute, keep writing them numbers on the board for me, please," John told her before running after Tommy with the chalk that Tilly needed.
The girl threw her hands up in confusion. "Tells me to keep writing and then takes the bloody chalk that I need, what a div," she muttered to herself.
Arthur came out of his office calling Tommy's name and John walked back up to Tilly. "You know you took the chalk right?" she asked and he pointed to the other chalk. "There was one there," he told her.
"Well how was I supposed to see that when it's on the floor?" she asked.
"Open your eyes," he shrugged. "Can you babysit for me tonight please?"
"Can Pen and Jake come round? Because Katie only listens to me, Emily only listens to Pen and Mason and Oli only listens to Jake," Tilly asked.
"Yes, they can help," John agreed.
.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
"Til, come on," Tommy ordered his sister as he walked out of Arthur's office.
She looked to John, "He never wants me to go somewhere with him?" she said in a panicked tone. "And he's never called me Til before."
"What have you done?" John questioned.
"Besides sneaking Pen and Jake in again, nothing," she answered before thinking. "I skipped school but that's nothing new."
"You'll be fine, go on," John said pushing her in the direction of Tommy who was stood with his hands on his hips and an expecting look on his face, waiting.
She silently followed her brother through the house and on to the streets of Small Heath. It was when they exited the house that Tilly decided to break the silence, "Where are we going?"
"Garrison," he replied and she nodded.
"Right and why do I need to come along with you?"
"Thought I'd save you the lecture from Arthur about skipping school," he shrugged. "And if you're with me, Freddie might keep his mouth shut."
"And here's me thinking you actually wanted to spend time with me," she said sarcastically.
"Well now you know what thought did," he responded looked at his sister out of the corner of his eye, watching as she mocked him.
"You're a twat," she told him. "I was going to say most of the time but then remembered you're a twat all of the time."
"Don't forget it," was all he said before opened the Garrison doors.
Harry came over with a crossword and pen for Tilly and a bottle of whiskey and a glass for Tommy, "On the house, Mr Shelby." The bartender sent Tilly a smile after she thanked him.
While the teen was getting on with her crossword she felt another person stand beside her. "How's my favourite Shelby today?" Freddie asked the teen causing her to look up from her crossword to reply.
"Good, I'm babysitting for John later. How are you?" she asked the man sending a smile.
"I'm good, just want to speak with your brother," he told her and Tommy looked at Tilly and then to Harry.
"She can help me while you're busy if you'd like Mr Shelby," Harry offered and Tommy nodded, motioning for Tilly to go behind the bar with Harry. The brunette took the cloth from the side and began wiping the bar and listening to Tommy and Freddie.
"You're not very subtle," Harry whispered in the girl's ear as he watched her eyes widen at the mention of a robbery and the fact Freddie was accusing Tommy of being the robber.
"Watch what you say, Freddie. He's still my big brother meaning I will defend his name to anyone who speaks badly of him, I don't care how old you are. Don't disrespect my family," Tilly warned Freddie when she heard him say he wished Tommy had taken the bullet in France.
"Tils, it's okay," Tommy reassured her sending her a small smile before turning his attention to the crash that was Danny Whiz-bang. While there was glasses shattering, tables and chairs being either kicked or knocked over and Danny shouting Harry stood with an arm in front of Tilly stopping her from walking any closer to the glass shards and Danny being pinned to the floor by Tommy and Freddie.
"Mr. Shelby, you have to do something about him," Harry told Tommy as the peaky blinder walked over to his sister checking to see if she got hit by any glass.
"Damn right, Harry. You pay the Peaky Blinders a lot of money for protection," Freddie agreed, tapping Harry on the back. "You're the law around here now, Tommy, aren't you?"
"Freddie, give it a fucking rest. You're annoying me now," Tilly cut in.
"Maybe you should put a bullet in Danny Whiz-Bang's head like they do with mad horses," Freddie went on. Tommy sighed before Freddie continued. "Maybe you'll have to put a bullet in my head someday, too."
"Maybe he will but for now I reckon you should just put a sock in it because one word about you and Ada, he will kill you," Tilly reminded the man once her brother was out of earshot.
"Bring the bill to the Peaky Blinders," Tommy told Harry who had waved back at Tilly. "We'll take care of it."
Once outside, Tilly asked, "You're not actually going to shoot Danny are you, Tom?"
"Not with a loaded gun I'm not," he muttered so quietly, she almost missed what he had said.
Author's note:
Tilly and Tommy = another relationship I might ruin.
Finn and Tilly & Ada and Tilly (will be more of them next chapter along with Tilly, Jacob and Penny) = faves.