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𝑇𝑊𝐸𝑁𝑇𝑌 𝑁𝐼𝑁𝐸

She'd quickly learned that darkness broke out in Small Heath very early in the day. There was something about the smoke and the smog and the filth, paired with the harsh clattering of the factories that attracted the blackness by just after four o'clock. It sent shivers down her back as they walked through the streets, the frosty wind biting their cheeks until they turned bright pink from the cold.

It took Finn and Isaiah only ten minutes to realise that the darkness only hindered their supposed tour. It was made more awkward still by the fact that Anna hadn't shared a single word with them in that entire time. Something felt off- not with the boys, of course- but with her being there as a whole. It felt as if Anna was intruding upon something, or more likely taking someone's place.

"Well, we were going to show you to Charlie's yard and everything, but it's getting dark, and Tommy doesn't want us out without light, given..." Finn said, trailing off. "There's not many places we can go now."

"That's fine. I've seen more than enough for the moment," she said. It was only as the words left her mouth, that Anna realised how rude they sounded. "I didn't mean it like that, only that Michael had shown me a little before we went to the house in Sutton."

Finn stopped, his eyebrows furrowed. "How long have you been here?" His voice almost sounded offended, knocking up a pitch or two.

"Months."

Though to Anna it had felt like mere weeks, it really had been months. Almost eight months to be exact. Still, she could remember the shock on her mother's face, the feeling of a good March rain soaking her through, as clearly as if it was yesterday.

Finn scowled, though at no one in particular. It earned a teasing chuckle from Isaish beside him.

"And Aunt Pol never said a bloody word!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "I knew she wasn't talking to the rest of my brothers, but I thought she would have told me."

"I think she was going to. She would have, too, if all this hadn't have happened," Anna said.

It was the truth. Polly had spoken about Finn the most- about the times he would run bare feet in the streets between Watery Lane and the Garrison. She talked fondly of when they were just small children before she and Michael had been taken from her when Anna would giggle at her younger cousin, who always managed to find a way to crawl through the muck of things.

Anna debated telling these things to Finn. It seemed he needed to be reminded of the affection his Aunt felt for him. But she supposed it was just a matter of belief. No matter what she said, Finn would be offended by his lack of knowledge as to Anna's return. In fact, it reminded her of Will sometimes- the stubbornness and need for awareness.

"We best be heading back. Aunt Pol will have my head if I bring you back too late," Finn said. Anna nodded- she knew how angry her mother would be- she had said so that very morning.

Then she remembered. "No!"

Isaiah and Finn stopped, glancing behind them to where Anna had stopped wide-eyed.

"I was supposed to be seeing Michael tonight!"

"What time?"

"Half-past five."

The two boys looked to each other, sharing a grin.

"We'll get home by five," Finn began.

"If we run," Isaiah finished.

Before Anna could say a word more, they were grabbing her by the arm each, making her legs break into a run as they sprinted down the street. Anna shrieked, holding down her dress as they swerved her around a corner, almost losing her feet below her.

"Slow down!" she shouted with a burst of bubbling laughter that erupted from her throat.

"We can't slow now," Isaiah said, his hold on her arms tightening.

Anna let out another crack of laughter. How long had it been since she'd ran? It made her think distinctively of the football games on Australian beaches, and of the races through the streets of Stafford, which she would always win. She pushed her legs forward, pounding with one swift step after another until she was pulling her arms smoothly from the boys' grasp and sprinting ahead with a laugh.

Watery Lane was in sight as she slipped easily around the corner, spotting her mother waiting by the door. Steps echoes somewhere far behind where she'd left Finn and Isaiah. Anna skidded to a stop, making Polly shout in surprise.

"Good God Anna! Where have you been?" Polly fussed, her dark eyes widening as she spotted the mud that soaked the bottom of her skirt.

"With Finn and Isaiah," Anna said between pants.

"You're covered in filth!"

Finn and Isaiah finally stopped beside them, their chests heaving in breaths as Polly eyed them suspiciously.

"Where did that speed come from?" Finn exclaimed before his aunt could any anything.

Isaiah nodded, laughing. "I could barely keep up."

"You couldn't keep up at all," Anna said, a blush darkening her already pink, flushed cheeks. she added, "I used to run. A lot."

When Anna and Polly finally reached the hospital, it was close to the end of visiting time. Anna's face was still rosy as her mother ushered her through the doors, ignoring the protests of the nurses as they made their way through the dim corridors and to Michael's room. Polly muttered something about 'being a Shelby' - it was that phrase that reminded Anna of Tommy.

"You go in," Polly said, her back already turning toward the nurses who complained. "I'll set them straight.

Anna sighed but complied. She slumped into the room, pulling a chair with her and plinking it down beside her brother. It wasn't until she was leaning against his bed table, feet leaning beneath a stolen blanket, that she realised that Michael was awake and staring at her, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He raised his brow.

"Where's mum?" he asked.

"Arguing with the nurses," Anna said. She was surprised their mother's loud voice hadn't drifted in from the corridor yet. "Sorry about the lateness, by the way."

Michael shook his head, taking the cigarette and stumping it against the wood of the bedside table. "I don't mind. All the hours are beginning to roll into one now anyways," he said before suddenly looking to the door and leaning close when he deemed something alright. "How did it go?"

"You heard about that?"

"Yeah. Tommy rang and asked me to 'put some sense into her'." He scoffed out a laugh. "There's no putting sense into mum. Once she thinks something, there's no changing it."

"We had to get it from somewhere"

Michael grinned. "I suppose so. And I suppose it works in a way. Well, it got you home, didn't it?"

"And you," Anna added. "I just don't like talking about it - with mum or with anyone. It doesn't feel right. I don't know everything and I never will since I wasn't here. How can I know if she's wrong or right to not trust Tommy?"

"I've had that dilemma for far longer, Anna," Michael said glumly. "And even I worry sometimes. But Tommy means well and he always has. Mum's been through the whole lot- she knows him better than anyone."

Anna frowned as she noticed his shaky inhale.

"There's something I told John before - before he died," Michael said slowly. "'We're not the Peaky Blinders unless we're together'."

Anna's hand gravitated toward his, but she pulled it back. The time she'd seen him after he'd first been brought into the hospital, Michael had refused to talk about Christmas or John or even his own bullet wound. He wouldn't want her extra weight on top of his own- whether it was her condolences or a simple hold of his hand.

"I believe it," he finally continued. "We're not the Peaky Blinders unless we're together. This isn't us. Tommy knows it. We'll be picked off one by one unless we're together."

Polly's bothered mumbling and angry steps echoed from the corridor by the door. He blinked, clearing the blur from his eyes.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's nothing to apologise for."

The doors slammed open and Polly made a show of pulling off her coat with an exaggerated sigh.

"We'll go to the beach, once Tommy has sorted this whole mess out," Anna said softly, acting as if they'd spoke of nothing else.

"We'll go to the beach," Michael agreed with a brief nod. "We all will."

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Sorry for the wait. I took a good break over Christmas and now I'm ready to get writing again. Chapters should begin to be more frequent, longer and of better quality.

Also, I want to say a big thank you for continuing to vote and comment and even just read this story. To everyone who has been here since the start, it means a lot and to everyone who is newly reading, welcome!

xoxo
M