Chelsea found herself standing inside Polly's house, outside the door in the basement where Ada sat inside, isolating herself from her whole family, the baby also isolated.
Chelsea knocked on the door, a basket of fruit and food and some essentials for the baby, "Ada, it's me, it's Chelsea."
Ada didn't respond, the only thing Chelsea could hear was the baby crying.
"Ada, no one knows i'm here." Chelsea said sadly, "You've never hid from me. I don't care if you're hiding from them. . .you can't hide from me."
Chelsea stared at the door for a few more moments, and still no response. Accepting that Ada wasn't going to answer, Chelsea placed the basket beside the door and turned to walk up the stairs.
The door suddenly unlocked and Ada ran out, and pulled Chelsea in for a hug, crying into Chelsea's hair.
"Oh, Chelsea." Ada whispered.
Chelsea walked Ada back inside and sat her down on a chair in the corner of the small room. She walked over to Ada's baby who lay on a small bed.
"He's beautiful." Chelsea whispered, picking the baby up in her arms, "Beautiful. Just like his mother."
"Why'd you come?" Ada asked, her voice sounded angry but Chelsea knew she wasn't angry at her, she was just angry.
"Because you're my Aunt, the closest thing I have to a sister." said Chelsea, "I love you, Ada. And i'll always be there for you."
"Has Tommy said anything?"
"No." Chelsea shook her head, "He thinks I'm with Grace. At the moment, she feels more of my parent than Tommy does."
"What is going on with you and your dad?" asked Ada, "I know me and him aren't exactly speaking right now, but I know somethings wrong with you two."
"He's not who I made him out to be." said Chelsea, "Him snitching on Freddie to the coppers confirmed it all. I think it's time I head back home to my mother and father."
"Father?" Ada repeated, "But, Tommy is your father."
"No." said Chelsea, "Williams my father. He raised me and he l-loves me. Tommy doesn't."
"You don't actually believe that, do you?" said Ada.
"It's true, Ada." said Chelsea sternly, "Now don't try and change my mind. I haven't come here to speak about me, I came here to check you're okay. You haven't spoken to anyone in days, the only reason we know you're okay is because when we come hear we can hear you locking the door and hear your baby crying."
"I don't want to talk to him." Ada said, standing up and taking her baby, "He's left my son without a father. He's left me without a husband. I will not leave this room until he apologises."
"I've got you everything you need in that basket." said Chelsea, pointing to the basket that now sat outside the door, "I'll be back tomorrow to bring you some more. But, Ada, you can't hide forever."
"You're growing up." said Ada, "I guess it's all you've saw, but you're changing. You've got your own opinions, you're making your own decisions and you're getting stronger. I hope my son turns out to be like you."
"Well, wouldn't he be so lucky?" Chelsea laughed.
She hugged Ada once more and kissed her goodbye, also kissing the baby lightly on his forehead before she went..
Chelsea walked back over to her house, feeling guilty for Ada's situation and an overwhelming anger toward her father for allowing it to happen.
When she opened the door, she found everyone in her family in the kitchen except for Tommy and Ada, of course.
But there was also a man sat on the table, that looked oddly like Arthur.
"Chelsea-" Polly sighed.
"Chelsea?" The man repeated. Chelsea took her shoes off and walked to the opposite side of the kitchen, slightly behind Arthur, "So this is Tommys kid."
The man stood up and walked over to Chelsea, cupping her face tightly and looking directly into her eyes, "Blimey, she's Tommys kid alright. I'm your grandfather, Chelsea. Arthur Shelby."
"Arthur-" Chelsea started.
"That's right." Arthur Sr nodded, "Your grandfather."
The feeling of a random man having his hands on Chelsea's face rose panic in her, her heart thundering ten times the speed as her hands began to get sweaty.
"You're a beautiful girl, Chelsea. I held you once when you were a baby, had a good feeling about you since the start. Your eyes-"
"Get out." a stern voice ordered from the other side of the kitchen soon after the door shut.
Arthur took his hands of Chelsea's face and whipped around. Chelsea saw Tommy standing beside Polly, staring his own father down with disgust.
As soon as Chelsea saw Tommy, she ran away from Arthur Sr and toward her dad, crashing into his side. Tommy wrapped his arm around her tightly as Chelsea stared at Arthur Sr.
"Come on, son." the man spoke, "I'm a changed man."
"This family needed you ten years ago, and you walked out on us." said Tommy, Chelsea heard the pain in his voice and it pained her to hear it, "Not now. Get out of this house."
"Tommy, he's different-" Arthur Jr said.
"Shut up." Tommy said instantly.
Arthur Sr looked down at his other son who was defending him, "It's alright, son. Arthur Shelby never stays where he's not welcome. Quite something you've become, Thomas."
The man didn't stay any longer, he walked toward the door and ruffled Finns hair, bidding him goodbye.
"It's alright." Tommy whispered to Chelsea.
"He's our dad." Arthur said.
Tommy scoffed, "He's a selfish bastard."
"You calling someone a selfish bastard, that's a bit rich, Tommy. I mean, thanks to you, we're already down a bloody sister."
When Chelsea realised who she was hugging, she immediately let go and retreated over to John, who also wrapped his arm around her.
"You want to see him, Arthur?" Tommy said, pointing over to the door, "You want to see him? You go with him."
Arthur stood up and walked straight past Tommy, straight out the door.
For the rest of the day, Chelsea didn't know what to do with herself. She sat in her bed for the most of it, in the afternoon she went downstairs and sat with Finn who was drawing on cards.
But, after Finn had gotten bored her ran off to "go chase pigeons."
On the nighttime, Chelsea left the safety of her house and wondered around the streets, ending up outside Annie and Williams house.
She knocked on the door and instantly Annie answered, hope filling her eyes.
"Have you made your decision?" she asked.
"Not yet." said Chelsea, "I'll need a bit longer, but, I think I'm coming close."
"Okay." said Annie, "Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea, maybe? We haven't had some good mother-daughter time in a while."
"I was actually going to the Garrison to spend some time with Grace." said Chelsea, awkwardly seeing the jealousy rise in her mothers face, "You could come if you want."
"I'm not wanted there," she said sadly, "i think Grace would shoot me if she saw me walking in with you. Go and have fun, pop round if you can dear."
Chelsea smiled awkwardly at her mother before turning back around. She didn't really understand what had possessed her to walk to her mothers house, but it must be an indication that she was leaning towards choosing her over her father.
She walked down the lanes of Small Heath and finally arrived in the Garrison Lane, and into the Garrison pub.
"Ah, Chelsea." said Grace who was writing inside the official books, "Everything okay, dear?"
"Yeah, just needed to get out of the house." she said, jumping up onto a stool.
Chelsea soon noticed that no one else was inside of the pub, just Grace.
Grace passed the girl a glass of water, "We all have our moments. How's Ada and the baby?"
"She's fine." said Chelsea, who had downed the water in a couple of seconds, "Spoke to her and she's still a bit shaken from it all, which is understandable, but I just hope her and my dad sort it out."
"I think you and your dad need to sort something out to." Grace smirked, placing the books aside and giving Chelsea her undivided attention.
"Please, Grace." Chelsea sighed, shaking her head, "I don't want to talk about any of this. Me and my dad aren't on good terms and that's that."
"No. That isn't okay. After everything you and your father have been through, you can't just change your whole view on him because of some stupid woman's opinion-"
"Don't speak on my mothers name like that! You have no idea who she is! She's done a hell of a lot for me."
Grace scoffed, "Chelsea, darling, you can't be serious."
"Well I am."
Chelsea sat on the booth for the rest of the night, Grace didn't dear disturb her. It was odd, the two of them not speaking. Chelsea knew Grace was clearly mad at her, but it was none of her business. Chelsea could make up her own mind now, and if she saw Tommy as who he really was and Grace couldn't, then that was Grace's problem.
However, the two finally made an interaction at about 10 to 12 at night, multiple bangs came from the front door of the pub.
"Go behind the bar." Grace said to the girl.
Chelsea stood up from her booth and ran past Grace and behind the bar. It was odd, everyone knew the Garrison was shut at this hour, so why would someone be knocking.
Chelsea heard Grace open the front door and then, footsteps marched into the pub.
Chelsea didn't know who it could be, for Grace hadn't spoke. That was either a good sign or a very very bad sign.
"Leave that open." A man said.
Chelsea could recognise that voice from anywhere, it was her dads.
Grace walked behind the bar and looked down at Chelsea in confusion.
Chelsea pressed her finger to her lip, indicating that Grace shouldn't tell her father she was hear.
Grace grabbed a bottle of whiskey and went to pour it but Tommy held his finger up to her, "No, no."
"Are you expecting trouble?" Grace asked, placing the alcohol back down.
"Yeah." Tommy breathed aggressively.
"At this hour?"
"Midnight is as good an hour as any."
Chelsea heard a gun being loaded. Her heart began to pound. What had her father done wrong now?
"What the hell is going on?" Grace asked as Tommy passed her a gun.
"When the St. Andrews bell strikes midnight, two IRA men are gonna come through that door. When they have what they want, they plan to kill me. It's your job to stop that happening."
Tommy walked around the bar but Grace took a step back, covering Chelsea with her body.
"You could've given me some more warning." Grace said as Tommy grabbed her another gun and began to load it.
"I just got the message myself." he explained, "They want to meet here alone."
"And barmaids don't count?"
"No, barmaids don't count."
"Do daughters?" Chelsea said, standing up and moving beside Grace.
"No, daughters don't-" Tommy stopped on his tracks and turned back around, "No. No. What are you doing here?"
"I don't think you're the one to be asking questions. Why do two men want to kill you?"
"A lot more men do, Chelsea."
"Yes, but no one ever acts on it." Chelsea said, "What did you do to piss them off so badly?"
"Language." Tommy said, he pushed past Chelsea and continued to speak to Grace, "You'll be in that back room. I'm going to be sitting there. When I make a toast, you're gonna come out with that thing raised. You don't shoot. You just point. I'll do the rest."
"And where am I going?" Chelsea asked.
"You're going home."
"Will you kill them?" Grace asked, taking the gun off the counter and holding it in her hands.
"No, the police want them alive."
"The police know about this?"
"Look, just hold it up." said Tommy, he placed himself behind Grace and overlapped his hands on hers, guiding the gun in the air.
The clock chimed.
Tommy looked down at his daughter, "Take her with you Grace." he said, "Do not let her leave that room. And Chelsea, if you leave that room-"
"What if you need help?" Chelsea asked as Grace began to drag her away.
"I won't need help." Tommy said, pushing his daughter, "Do not, under any circumstances, leave that room."
And with that, Tommy slammed the door, shutting the two inside the back room.
Grace wrapped her arms around Chelsea, making sure she doesn't get to scared and that she keeps quiet.
Chelsea heard the front door open and close, followed by two pairs of footsteps.
"Lost your thirst, eh?" Tommy spoke.
"Just show us where." Another man spoke.
A few moments of silence, then a ruffle and then Tommy said, "Just give me the cash."
Chelsea's heart was beating so violently she was worried that it would give away her and Grace's hiding spot.
Chelsea heard a package slam down on the table, it was obviously a big sum of money that Tommy was requesting from these men.
"You're gonna need a shovel," her dad said.
"You thick fucking tinker." one of the men laughed, "Did you think we'd let you live?"
"Make your peace, Mr Shelby."
Chelsea resisted the urge to run out of her hiding spot and throw herself in front of her dad. He was so close to being killed and one wrong move, it would all be over.
"I will make my peace my own way." said Tommy, "To barmaids who don't count."
Chelsea was pushed forward onto the floor and the only thing she heard, whilst she was blinded by the carpet, was two loud gunshots.
She scrambled up off the floor, staying in the room like her dad had instructed, and peaked her head slightly out of the door.
Grace had shot the man on the left. . .twice.
Tommy was now in a physical fight with one of the men. Grace held the gun up, but she didn't shoot out of fear of shooting Tommy.
Chelsea heard a loud bang and the two men had now both dragged each other over to the bar. Grace had been hit and now lay on the floor.
Tommy was on his own.
The man dragged Tommy down to the floor, grabbed Tommys blazer and wrapped it around his face. He then took his arms and wrapped it around Tommys neck, straggling him and suffocating him.
Chelsea stood still.
Her dad was still squirming around, hitting the man repeatedly in the face and trying to break free from his grip.
But, Tommy's feet slowly stopped kicking. His breathing was now slowing down as he tried to take longer breaths, but he was staring to sound squeaky.
And then he completely stopped moving.
Chelsea ran out from her spot, taking the man by surprise, she ran forward and kicked him in the head over and over again until his grip on Tommy had stopped.
She jumped on top of the man, punching him over and over again, screaming and cursing at him. As she beat the man, with every punch his face changed. It changed from William, to the Lee man, to Tommy and then back to William.
Her anger took over her.
She grabbed a metal vase that lay down next to her and began to strike the man. Blood spattered from every single point on the man's face, shooting right back onto Chelsea's clothes and face.
Even after she felt the man stop breathing from underneath her, she couldn't stop hitting him, his face was completely disfigured.
The man's lifeless body bounced with every hit.
"Stop!" Tommy shouted, trying to drag his daughter away, "It's done! Chelsea, he's dead! He's gone! Stop! Fucking stop!"
He dragged Chelsea away, pulling her into his chest as she sobbed loudly.
"I want my mom!" She screamed, trying to push her dad away, "I want my mom!"
"It's okay." Tommy whispered, "You'll see your mom! It's okay-"
"Get the fuck off of me!" She screamed, finally getting out of Tommy's grip, "You did this to me! You! I fucking hate you!"
"Chelsea-" He started again, trying to grab his daughter to calm her down.
"I want my mom, Thomas!" Chelsea shouted, "I don't want you! I want my mom and my dad! I don't want you! You've made me into this!"
She began to cry historically on the floor, "I didn't want to become like this! She warned me! I didn't fucking listen!"
Grace ran over and pulled Chelsea up. Chelsea wrapped her arms around Grace's waist.
Tommy stood up and covered his mouth. Chelsea caught a glimpse of him and could physically see the heart break on his face.
The doors then opened and Grace took a few steps back as three coppers entered.
Tommy marched toward them, "You were supposed to come on the sixth chime. You were supposed to come on the fucking sixth chime!"
The men took no notice of the physically disturbed man and instead took a notice to the disfigured, dead man on the floor.
"They refused to surrender." Tommy breathed, struggling to hold himself together, "They fought well. They were brave men."
"Well, he looks like he was killed by a wild fucking animal."
Tommy looked back at his daughter and then to the men.
"Still, this never happened." the copper spoke, "They were never here. Who cares?"
"Get the bodies out of here."
"Ah, right, are they making the lady and your daughter uncomfortable? I'll leave you two lovebirds to it then, eh?"
They took the bodies and left.
"Take me to my mom." Chelsea whispered.
"You need sleep, darling." Grace whispered to the girl, stroking her hair comfortingly. Chelsea only just noticed how shaky Grace was, "I'll take you back to mine where you can sleep and we'll talk about it tomorrow."
"No." Chelsea refused, "I don't want to talk about it. I've made my choice. I'm leaving with my mother and father tomorrow morning."
"Chelsea-"
"It's fine." Tommy interrupted, "I'll take you to them myself. I'll tell them the truth and you can go."
Chelsea looked up at Tommy.
Tommy shivered as he saw the cold look in his daughters eyes.
The three immediately began to walk to Grace's and walked up to her apartment.
Grace walked Chelsea to her room and tucked her into bed, "Don't do this, Chelsea." she said as she sat beside the girl, "You don't want to do this."
"I do, Grace." Chelsea smiled sadly, "It's what's best for me and him. I hope I get to see you again."
Grace nodded, "You will."
As Grace stood up to leave the girl, Chelsea spoke up, "Thank you, Grace. Thank you for being a mother to me when I didn't really have one."
"I'll always be here for you, Princess."
And with that, Grace left Chelsea in the bed, where she expected her to sleep peacefully, away from any troubles.
But Chelsea didn't get one minute of peace or sleep, the images of the man she had killed constantly popping into her head, the words her mother had once spoke to her constantly replaying.
"the day will come when you will realise the impact that evil man will have on you and when you do realise, you can always come back home."
That day had come sooner than expected. And Chelsea had finally managed to make her final decision.
She was going to leave Small Heath, Birmingham and never return.