𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟔

Maeve quickly covered her eyes when she was awoken by the sound of keys. She groaned loudly and dragged her hands across her face.

"Fuck off." She said loudly, her voice bouncing off the walls. She eventually sat up when the door of her cell opened. "And what do you want now?" Maeve asked, leaning up on her elbows and raising an eyebrow.

The officer sighed and shook his head, a light smile on his face. Not a smile of spite but instead a smile of sympathy. "Been locked up for months and you've not lost your sense of humour, Miss Shelby." He said.

The officer was young. At least twenty. And he was clearly different to the others.

She scoffed and leaned back on her elbows.

"Are ya going to tell me what's going on then?" She snapped, not wanting to thank him for his half compliment. He stepped aside and there stood a priest which caused Maeve to scoff and throw her head back.

"Thought when i'd be put in here i'd get rid of fucking Linda. What is it, Sunday?" She asked with disgust painted across her face.

The priest looked ever so guilty. She watched in confusion as he started repeating some words quietly. "Is he speaking English?" Maeve asked the officer who had now turned away from her.

"May the lord be with you," he nodded before brushing past the officer to leave. "I don't have a bloody lord." Maeve sighed, leaning back again.

It was only when she was ordered to stand she realised something was wrong. She put her arms out at her sides, expecting to be searched for something. "What're you doing?" Maeve asked when he placed handcuffs around her wrists. Her heart was pounding. "No, there's been a mistake, there's an appeal process on the way that doesn't begin until January. I want to see my lawyer."

"You don't have a lawyer, Miss Shelby." He reminded her. Despite the severity of what was happened, she still struggled to hold back a chuckle at her light stupidity. "Oh yeah, my apologies."

As she was dragged out onto the hall way, she held her head up with a somewhat psychotic smile on her face, spitting at the feet of an officer who stood by the bar doors. "Merry Christmas," she shouted, her voice echoing.

The officer looks at her strangely and, of course, Maeve being Maeve. She made a joke. "Don't look at me like that, i'm not even eighteen yet!" Her voice was high pitched as she lied.

Maeve had celebrated her birthday earlier that month, alone in her cell. The only happy birthday wishes she received was from the young officer and whichever member of the family who had shouted it up the hall.

"Keep moving," he pushed her forward.

A loud bang could be heard along with shouts which caused Maeve to turn her head. "I'm John Shelby!" A voice rang out. Maeve swiftly looked over her shoulder and laid her eyes on John who was too being dragged through a different hallway, acting fairly similar to her.

"John!" She shouted. John looked over his shoulder and his face dropped, "Maeve? Ey, you get your hands off her!" He ordered, only to be ushered along.

Maeve had now made a guess as to what was going on. But once again, she let a cackle like laugh fall from her mouth and throw her head back, making it seemingly difficult for the officers who were walking her along before kicking her legs into the door in front of them.

And it was only a matter of time before she heard a voice that made the hairs on her neck stand, shivers run up her body. "Micheal!" Arthur shouted when he spotted his cousin through barred doors.

"Dad?" Maeve asked. Arthur turned his head. "Fucking hell— Maeve, my girl." He sounded panicked and confused at her calm front.

"Arthur!" Micheal shouted back. He was pale. Looked as though he were about to pass out.

Maeve was forced to a halt when John was dragged before her, causing her and Arthur to shout again. "Where's Tommy?" John shouted, kicking out when he was pushed through more doors. Slowly followed by Maeve.

"Dad!" She screamed, her voice breaking.

Her heart dropped when she spotted the ropes in front of her. Her breath hitched and she blinked a few times.

"Uncle John," she whispered, standing right behind him, "Uncle John, i don't want to die." She whispered again. John tried his best to reach for her hand as his own were cuffed behind his back, making it seemingly easy to take her hand in his.

Maeve forced herself forward and linked her pinky with his. "Where's Aunt Pol?" She asked, realising the older woman was not lined up with them. Everyone ignored her question.

Light beamed through the windows that were placed behind the ropes. Everything moved in slow motion as they were moved to the positions of where they'd be hung.

Maeve's breath was rapid. Her lip was trembling, as well as her voice. "Dad." She said, being placed between John and Arthur. "Dad please tell me this isn't real."

"My girl it's real. It's all real." He said.

Maeve forced her eyes closed when she felt the rope being placed around her neck. "John— John are you still there?" She asked as if he'd have disappeared within the few seconds.

"Yeah. Maeve i'm still here." He promised her. Maeve felt her eyes sting and she shakily looked to her left over to John. "It'll be alright, Maeve. It'll be quick." He tried to assure her.

"In the Bleak Midwinter." Arthur mumbled.

Maeve could no longer control her breathing. Micheal stared forward with wide eyes, his heart beating rapidly. They were going to die and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

John closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Maeve watched the man reach for the lever that would drop the trap doors at their feet. This made her snap and begin crying like a child.

"John, John!" She sobbed. Arthur forced his eyes harder, not wanting to hear the cries that left his daughter's mouth. "I'm still here, Maeve. I promise." John said, despite the lump he felt in his throat. "I'll always be here."

There were distant footsteps but Maeve thought she was imagining it. "Wait!" A voice rang out in a panic. This caused them all to open their eyes again, shouts leaving Arthur's mouth. Relief filling Micheal.

It was only moments before the ropes were taken away and Maeve fell to the floor, being held up by the same young officer that had awoken her that morning.

The moment John's cuffs were off, he shoved away from the officer and kneeled before Maeve, aggressively pulling her into his embrace. "Is it over?" She trembled in his arms, sobbing like a small child. "It's over, it's all over." John whispered, stroking her hair.

Arthur stood, still in shock. He was only able to look at Micheal who had an almost identical expression on his face.

Maeve looked up at Arthur, hoping he'd give her even an ounce of sympathy. But nothing. He gave her nothing. Didn't even glance at her. It was as if she wasn't there.

"Dad?" She croaked. John hushed her in a comforting way and held her close. Almost as if she were his own child. "Why won't he look at me?" Maeve whispered, getting no response.

-

Maeve walked into the place she once called home. Before everything was shredded to pieces by the one person she relied on. Arthur, of course, went to seek Linda.

Maeve on the other hand went straight up to her bedroom. The moment she opened the door, she noticed Isiah stood at her window, a book in hand.

"Oh my god." She mumbled before practically jumping into his arms. Isiah grinned widely and held her tightly. Maeve breathed in the scent of his cologne and it gave her automatic comfort. "What are you doing here?" She asked, pulling her head back and grabbing his face.

Isiah held the backs of her thighs and smiled. "Well i heard you'd magically been released and assumed you wouldn't have liked the limited company you have here. Linda agreed to let me come round."

Maeve looked at him longingly and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. It was full of affection. It wasn't aggressive or full of lust but instead it was the kiss of somebody whose world was close to ending only earlier that day. Literally close to ending.

"I've missed you, Isiah." She admitted, unable to take her eyes from him. Isiah hummed and walked to her bed, placing her down by the headboard and climbing over her. "Finn's been a mess, Maeve." He told her, brushing her hair away from her face as he hovered over her.

"Fucking hell— Finn. I've completely forgot about him! It slipped my mind."

Isiah shook his head. "He doesn't know you've all been released. He's been living with Ada, occasionally at my house." Isiah told her. Maeve looked off to the side and sighed.

"It all felt so surreal, Siah. I was petrified. Everything moved in slow motion." She began describing the traumatic event that had occurred.

Isiah listened carefully and now moved beside her. "All that matters is that you're out now." He told her.

Maeve nodded in agreement and let him begin talking.

"We missed your birthday." He reminded her, speaking quietly. "You're finally eighteen. Feels like it's been years."

Maeve snorted in laughter. "Well that is how age works, Siah." She said. Isiah shook his head lightly and smiled. "Well yeah but..you know what i mean." He dismissed. "After Christmas i'll take you out, we can celebrate then." He said, holding out his pinky finger.

Maeve frowned and Isiah nodded toward his finger. "Pinky promise." He said.

She couldn't help but smile. Although she rolled her eyes, she interlocked her finger with his and watched him lift their intertwined fingers and kiss them as though he was sealing the promise.

She shook her head but let him continue talking. But there was something she couldn't shake off- a feeling she couldn't shake off. It was a feeling she recognised all too well yet she hadn't felt it in so long.

Something was coming. She could sense it, almost see it. An old enemy was going to come back to haunt them. She just couldn't figure out who. Chester Campbell was dead, she killed him. Vincent Changretta was also dead, she killed him too. Maeve couldn't quite place who it was. Grace was hardly an enemy but she died— because of Maeve's antics.

Theadosia was ran out of town
and never seen again. Maeve had ran into her cousin at Tommy's wedding of course but she'd heard nothing since then.

Max Montgomery. She'd killed him. Well she thought she'd killed him. He was alive, obviously ran out of town by her uncles. He was not stupid enough to come back and try anything.

Cameron Montgomery was not an enemy, neither was his friend Kian.

Angel Changretta's mother, Vincent Changretta's wife? No. She could hardly stand on her own two feet.

"Fuck it," she thought. Maeve had racked her brain for any possible enemy that was planning on making a return. So it left one thing. There was something else coming— something bigger.

After Isiah had left the house, Maeve made an appearance downstairs. She gave Arthur and Linda the cold shoulder but couldn't help but steal a glance of her new little brother who looked like a happy little boy.

That night, Maeve got to sleep quicker than she'd anticipated.

But something had appeared in her dreams. A black cat was sitting at the edge of her bed, the moonlight shining through the gap in her curtains being the only thing that allowed her to see the animal.

Maeve always knew of the gypsy meanings behind things like these. Ever since she began getting the feelings when she was young, Polly taught her about everything.

But Maeve couldn't seem to remember what a black cat meant. And it frustrated her. It wasn't something she would have forgotten.

The cat was staring directly at her, its head tilted down slightly and a cold look in its eye. It was emotionless. Not that cats showed their emotions physically but Maeve could tell. This was a part of it all. There was reason behind the cold look.

The cat seemed powerful despite its small frame. It seemed confident. But the confidence slowly began wearing as the cat grew tired— or weak.

And just like that, Maeve was woken by Linda pulling back the curtains and letting the sun fill the bedroom. "Linda you cow!" Maeve shouted, pulling the sheet over her head.

Linda raised her eyebrows in amusement. "Charming," she said sarcastically, "come on, up. Can't have you in bed late." She tapped her watch.

"Oh fuck off, Linda. I was almost hung yesterday can't you have some decency? I'm traumatised!" Maeve said dramatically even though what she was saying was definitely true.

Linda scoffed. "The only way to heal is to attempt to move on. Leave the past behind you."

"If i were to kill you, you'd be in the past. Therefore i'd be able to leave you behind me. So could dad. Is that something you want, Linda? Because you're campaigning the idea splendidly." Maeve sat up and clapped her hands together sarcastically.

Linda just shook her head and walked to the door. "Never too late to make a change, Maeve."

"Yeah, dad should have made a change a long time ago by binning you off but here we are!" Maeve shouted, ensuring that Linda still heard her after closing the door. "Bitch." She finally huffed, throwing herself back down onto the mattress.

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I understand i've played with the time line slightly from Season 1 to Season 4 but i wanted to keep Maeve relatively young for while which explains why she's only just turned 18. I'll probably stick to the real time skips after Act 4.