☾
𝑇𝑊𝐸𝑁𝑇𝑌 𝐹𝐼𝑉𝐸

With some well paid luck, Christmas was cold that year and there was no doubt upon whether or not the snow would fall before January. It was hard for Anna to believe that a year ago, she was glued to her bed, too ill to move her own muscles, all while being in a foreign country across the world. The idea of it was surreal, and her place with her mother seemed as normal as ever, as if nothing had changed throughout her life. But Anna knew it was there that she belonged, even if the people were broken and the times could be rough.

They decorated the house for Christmas. Michael had grumbled that it was the first time in years since Polly had dragged the haggard box from below her bed. The tired ornaments were probably as old as her, and had most likely not seen the light of day since Michael's first Christmas at home. But either way, her brother was happy to see her enjoy the time, and was relieved to see that Polly had shaken her previous airiness straight from her head.

There was no tree, just a few Angels with hands for candles and little holly wreaths that could be hung from doors, yet the house still looked cosy, and far more lived in than it ever had before. Polly was bent down by the fire, warming her hands as Anna boiled the water for some tea. From the kitchen, she heard the door clatter open, letters falling from where they'd been stuck in the post box. She glanced through, spotting Michael as he rounded the door post, hanging his coat upon the peg.

"Is that the post?" Her mother shouted.

"And Michael," she replied.

"Run and get it for me, will you darling?" Polly asked.

Anna was already half way down the hallway as her mother shouted through. Michael greeted her with a friendly smile and a quick hug, his head tucking around the door to see where their mother was sat. Anna scooped down to the floor, collecting the few letters and flicking through them. There was a large one, covered in brown tape that wouldn't budge.

"It's a package, I can't open this one," she said, glancing to Michael who still hadn't gone through to the next room to Polly.

He nudged his head to the coat stand. "There's a knife in my coat pocket."

She dropped the post to the bench at the front door before she reached her hand into his deep pockets. Her hand shuffled around, coming into contact with cold glass. She pulled out three tiny, blue bottles- cocaine bottles. She'd seen ones identical in Stafford, stacked on the benches of Will's dad's house.

"What's this?" She stared at him with wide eyes, voice full of accusation.

Michael sighed, taking the bottles and shoving them back into his pocket. "I sniff a bit of snow. So what?"

"It's bad for you."

He rolled his eyes. "It keeps me awake. Stops me from thinking about what happened."

"You never told me straight what happened before," she said softly, picking up the post and letting him follow her to the kitchen.

He shrugged. "You never really asked."

"It wasn't my place to," she said, hurrying over to the tea that now lay cold on the side bench. "And when I asked Tommy his answer was business. Not a very good explanation."

"If mum finds out that I've told you this, she'll ring my neck," he said, pulling out the chair of the kitchen table.

"Good thing I won't tell her then, isn't it."

Michael rubbed at his face, pulling out a cigarette. "Before all of it, Tommy was in business with some Russians.

"Russians?"

He chuckled bluntly. "I'm telling you, Anna. This business, it goes deeper than you think," he said. "There was a priest, acting as a middle man of sorts- he'd linked the family up with Tommy so he could supply them with weapons. The priest was called Father Hughes. I already knew him from when I was taken away. It turned out the priest was a double agent of sorts, working for the economic league. Charlie was taken. Tommy needed the priest dead."

"You took the job." He nodded glumly.

"He was a bad man, Anna. A devil of the church, not a priest. He... He did things. Things that children shouldn't go through," he said, not daring to look her in the eye. He was still, unnervingly so, his jaw clenched in anger.

"Michael..."

"I had to do it. I wanted him to suffer for what he did."

Anna jumped forward, hugging her brother around the shoulders. He sighed, stiff for a a moment before he hugged her back.

"I'm glad you're my brother, Michael," she whispered.

"Thank you, Anna."

From in the sitting room, Polly shuffled, her slippers scratching against the carpet. Michael pulled back, handing her a handkerchief.

"Wipe you're eyes before mum sees," he said, shaking himself off and straightening his suit jacket. "I'm ready for a lecture."

Anna grabbed the post from by the front and soon followed Michael into the front room, where her mother now stood facing him, her hair disheveled.

"Ada's coming today. She's late."

Michael nodded, following her around the settee. "Tommy asked about you today."

Polly ignored him. "I hope Ada's car hasn't broken down. Are Shelby company limited still using bentleys."

"Yeah."

"Bentleys are no good in the cold. You should tell him," she said.

"I will." Michael sighed. "Any other messages for Tommy?"

"Yeah, fuck off," Polly said casually.

"Where do you want the post?"

"On the table with the rest of it love."

"He saw that the drainpipe was broken. He's worried," Michael said.

"Is that it? Is that all he asked about?" Polly scoffed, looking at her son as if she didn't recognise him.

"No he said that I'm to accept that you have a gift," he said. "That you've always had a gift."

"What gift?"

"Second sight. Spirits, all that gypsy stuff," Michael explained. "He said that I'm to believe you."

Polly moved closer, her eyes narrowing and lips pulling into a taunt line.

"You think I don't hear his voice in yours? You don't think I recognise his strategies?" She turned, bending down by the fire again, her voice low. "I'm still a match for him.

"Yes, you are. You still can be," Michael said. "Me and Lizzy decided that this new year we're all to turn a page. You can't spend another year like this mum. If not for your sake, then for Anna's. She needs a family."

"She has a family," Polly snapped, hurrying over to take Anna by the hand, pulling her behind her back.

Michael shook his head, glancing to his sister who looked nothing but confused. Anna had never seen her mother in one of her outbursts, as Michael described it, but she knew that if he kept going on as he was, it would shortly lead to one.

"Digging in his bag, Michael said, "Look. I bought these. One for you and Ada and one for you Anna and me."

He pulled out two bottles of champagne, sparkling gold beneath a pristine red wrap.

"So Tommy said keep her off the whiskey?" Polly growled. "I'll drink champagne the day my son leaves the employment of Shelby company limited. You tell him that next time he mentions fucking drainpipes."

The two siblings sat my the fire, a small glass of champagne each sitting in their hands. Their mother had soon disappeared upstairs to bathe, leaving the two to clear the empty boxes and packaging that had been left from the decorations. Polly had already tidied the rest of the house until it was spotless, nerves about Ada's arrival sending her into shakes.

"What are we going to do?" Anna asked.

She took a sip of the drink, cringing. While it wasn't the worst thing she'd had, it was much too out of her depth.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard mum, if we so much as think of going through with the plan, she'll riot," Anna said. "I don't want to put her through that."

He sighed. "I know. It's the tablets. She's become too dependent on them. Tommy says-"

"I don't care what Tommy says," she interrupted. "He's not here. He hasn't seen how she is. We need to do something for ourselves."

Michael stood quickly.

"Where are you going?"

"Wait here, I know what to do. You finish cleaning up, I'll be back down in five."

He left no room for arguments as he hurried up the stairs.

It wasn't until an hour late, when their mother came running down the stairs, that Anna realised what Michael had done. She was frantic, hands scratching against the side of her face anxiously.

"What did you do with them?" She screeched, eyes zoning in wildly on Michael. "My tablets were in the bathroom cabinet. What did you do with them?"

"Mum," Anna breathed out, stepping toward her.

"I'm talking to your brother," she snapped.

Anna staggered back, eyes wide. Her mother had never spoke to her in such a way. Michael had taken away her tablets- she was going through withdrawal.

"I through them in the lavatory."

"Tommy's orders," she shrieked, hurrying to the study to shuffle through the drawers.

"No. My own."

"How am I going to get through Christmas without them? They close everything," she mumbled, papers scattering to the floor around her as she scurried to find a spare bottle.

"We'll help you. You said yourself that Anna helps with everything," Michael said.

She through the pile of files to the floor upon coming back from her search empty handed. "Fucking nothing!"

"We'll help you," Anna said.

But Polly kept muttering, "How am I going to get through fucking Christmas?"

"Mum." Michael took her by the elbows, attempting to calm her, but Polly pushed back.

"Fuck off, Thomas Shelby," she screeched, wrestling against his hold.

"This has got to stop," he shouted. "Mum."

Anna rushed forward, pushing his side as she took Polly back. "Michael, just stop. Mum, it's alright."

"Hello, Polly."

The three staggered apart, heads whipping toward the door. Polly still clung to Anna, her face distraught. A woman pulled her coat off from by the doorway, looking in on the mess with surprise.

"Hello, Michael," she said, eyes then flitting toward Anna. "Hello, Anna."

"Merry Christmas," Ada said.

"Fuck me," Polly blurted. She glanced around the room, face crumbling. "We spent the whole day tidying up. I wanted it to be nice."

Ada stepped forward, engulfing her aunt in a hug. Polly shook, a cold shiver running down her arms and stretching toward her back. Her fingers clawed at the fur coat that curled over Ada's elbow.

"Why Pol, it's only me?" She whispered. "We'll put things back together."

She slipped to the side, catching Anna by the elbow. Her smile was soft, motherly almost.

"Tommy told me. Welcome to the family love," she said, embracing her kindly. "I wish we could give you a warmer welcome, but somethings happened."

She glanced to Michael and Polly. "Things have changed."

Ada walked toward table, picking up a letter from the pile. She flipped it over- the same one Anna had picked up earlier, with the multiple stamps. The letter from America.

"Today, everyone in the family received one of these."

Polly ripped it from her grasp, fumbling to open the seal. She pulled it out, flicking it open. In the middle of the stark white page, a stamp stretched across the page. A black hand.

"What does it mean?" Michael said, eyes staring daggers at the card.

"Tommy's called a family meeting. You all need to be there," Ada said, ignoring the question.

"Anna can stay here. I don't want her messed up in this," Polly said.

Ada shook her head. "No, you all need to be there. And Anna's family now."

☾

The writing is so bad this
chapter ugh. Will rewrite.