Tilly was sat on the sofa reading while Jacob sat next to her complaining he was bored. Jacob had slept over that much in the past weeks that he practically lived at number 6, he rarely went home unless it was to get more clothes and when he did go home he avoided his parents.

"Either find something to do or shut up," Tilly huffed.

The boy sighed once again making her slam her book closed before standing up and dragging Jacob into the den. "Please for the sake of my sanity and for his wellbeing can you find him something to do because if he sighs in my ear one more fucking time I'm going to slap with my book," she begged Scudboat.

"Language," Tommy scolded her. "Where's John?"

"John's in the Garrison," Polly explained as she pulled on her hat and coat. "He says he wants a meeting about a family matter."

Tommy glanced at Jacob and then back to Polly who subtly nodded while she then glanced at Tilly.

"The meeting includes the two of you," Tommy said looking between the two of them.

"And after he's said his piece he'll come back and take his place with Scudboat," Polly spoke up.

"Scudboat? John will be here in ten minutes," Polly announced as they walked out of the door.

"All right," Scudboat agreed.

"Five," Tommy corrected pointing. As they were walking down the street Tommy pushed himself in the middle of Jacob and Tilly and annoying Tilly by making her walk on the other side of Polly.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The four of them walked into the Garrison and straight into the snug where John and Arthur were already sat. Arthur's eyes following Tilly and Jacob as they say next to him the in booth.

"All right, John," Tommy began watching Tilly lean against Jacob. "There's only one man guarding the house. What's troubling you?"

"Polly, you know what it's been like since Martha died," John started, as he fiddled with his cap.

"God takes the best first," The woman frowned, placing her hand over John's.

"The truth is, my kids have been running bloody rings around me.
Running barefoot with the dogs until all hours," John continued, his head dropping.

"Pol, give him ten bob, some shoes and you two and Penny can start babysitting more," Tommy ordered. "Is that it, John?"

"Tommy, we'd be better doing this without you," Polly huffed as she looked up to the man. "Now, what's your point?"

"What the kids need is a mother. So, that's why I'm getting married," John announced and Tilly looked to Arthur who looked as shocked as the two teens sat next to him.

"Does this poor girl know you're going to marry her or are you going to spring it on her all of a sudden?" Polly questioned.

"I've already proposed and she said 'yes."

"I think there's a shell about to land and go bang," Tommy remarked, lighting yet another cigarette. They watched as John took a sip of his beer, wiping his mouth before looking up.

"It's, er... It's Lizzie Stark."

Chuckles erupted from Pol and Arthur while Tilly sat with her hand over her mouth and Jacob sat biting his lip to hide his laughter. "John, Lizzie Stark's a strong woman and I am sure she provides a fine service for her customers," Pol coughed.

"I won't hear the word. Understand?" John snapped causing Tilly and Jacob bowed their heads. "Do not use that word."

"What word is that, John?" Tommy asked, leaning against the wall.

"You know what word that is."

"Everybody bloody knows..." Arthur laughed. "Even these two know the word."

"Everybody can go to hell..." John continued.

"Right, I want it known... if anyone calls her a 'whore' again, I will push the barrel of my revolver down their throats and blow the word back down into their hearts," John spat maliciously.

"Men and their cocks never cease to amaze me," Polly stated in disbelief, holding up her hands. "John, Lizzie Stark never did a day's work vertical."

"She's changed. All right. People change," he stood up. "Like wi-wi-with religion."

"Oh, Lizzie Stark has got religion, eh?' Tommy said, shaking his head.

"Are we talking about the same Lizzie Stark? Or do you know someone else with the same name?" Tilly asked.

"Shut up, Matilda," he shouted.

"Don't tell me shut up when you're the one who's marrying a fucking prostitute," she huffed.

"No, no, she doesn't have religion. But... Well, she loves me."

"Now, listen, Tommy. I won't do it without your blessing. But of all the people in the world... I want you to see it... as brave."

"Brave or desperate?" Tilly questioned. "Wait that's what you two have in common." Jacob placed his hand over Tilly's mouth to stop her from talking.

"It's brave all right," Arthur spoke, taking a large gulp of his drink.

'''Brave' is going where no man has gone before..." Polly began with her hand over her mouth. "And with Lizzie Stark, John, that is really not what you'll be doing."

"Listen, Tommy. Welcome her to the family. As someone who's had a hard life. All right? Because I need someone. All right, the kids need someone," John was cut off by Finn barging into the snug extremely breathless.

"Tommy! We've been done over!"

Arthur was out of the door first with Tommy and John following while Polly picked up her stuff and Tilly and Jacob's attention by nodding her head to the door for them to follow.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

"What the bloody bell happened here?" Arthur asked Scudboat who was having his head checked over by Tilly.

"The Lee's. All of them. Cousins, nephews, even their bastards..." Scudboat told Arthur.

"They've taken anything they can lay their hands on," Polly told them. "Four cash boxes."

"They left these," Tommy told them holding onto some wire cutters.

"Wire cutters? Why would they leave wire cutters?" Polly asked.

"Nobody move," Arthur said.

"I think our friends are playing the game," Tommy nodded.

"And that game is?" Tilly asked.

"What game?" Polly asked.

Polly went to move into the office when John stopped her, "Aunt Pol. Don't touch anything."

"Erasmus Lee was in France," Tommy told them.

"Shit..." Scudboat swore and got up slowly.

"Whenever we gave up ground to the Germans, we'd leave behind booby traps, set up with wires," Tommy continued. "Then we'd leave wire cutters as part of the joke."

"Somewhere in here there's a hand grenade," John spoke up.

"Attached to a wire. Don't move any chairs or open any doors," Arthur said using his arm to keep Tilly and Jacob in place.

Arthur turned around and finished what John was saying, "Attached to a wire. Don't move any chairs or open any doors."

John and Arthur moved around the room cautiously scanning for the wire, "Go easy, John Boy. Go easy."

"No," Tommy shook his head. "Boys, no. It's not in here. If it was in here, it would have blown by now. It was my name on that bullet Erasmus sent. He's set up a trap all right. But he's set it up just for me."

Tilly looked to Polly, "Aunt Pol? Where's Finn?"

"I thought you knew where he was?" Polly asked.

"No," she shook her head.

"Go find him."

"I'll go," Tommy said as he walked out of the door leaving everyone else to clean up the den.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Tilly and Jacob made their way to Penny's who was on her way to Tilly's. "Why have Finn and Isaiah just walked past me saying Finn nearly died today?" Penny asked the girl.

"Uh, because he nearly died," she shrugged. "But he's fine. As you could see."

"I'm going to need more information than that," Penny told her.

"The Lee's put a hand grenade in Tommy's car and Finn was messing in his car pretending to be Tommy and nearly set it off," Tilly explained.

"So your family is basically at war with the Lee's?"

"Basically, yeah," she nodded as they walked down the street towards Tilly's.

"Tilly is that you?" Polly asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah," she shouted.

"Are Penny and Jacob with you?" she questioned again.

"Yes."

"Don't stay up too late," she told the three of them as they made their way upstairs all nodding.

"Did you go home?" Penny asked Jacob as she laid down on Tilly's bed.

"No," he replied.

"Why does Tilly's bed smell like you?" Penny asked as she sat up again, realising hitting her as she gasped. "Oh my god. You slept in Tilly's bed."

Jacob's cheeks turned pink as he looked everywhere but the blonde.

"When are you going to admit that you like her?" she asked. Penny was the only person that knew of Jacob's crush on Tilly just like Penny was one of the people besides Ada and Polly who knew of Tilly's crush on Jacob.

Tilly walked into the room, "When is he going to admit that he likes who?" she asked watching as Jacob shook his head at the girl who had turned to look at him.

"Just a girl he knows. From school," Penny covered, Jacob averting his eyes from the brunette to the floor as Penny watched Tilly's face drop.

"Do I know her?" Tilly questioned.

"No, you don't have any classes together," Jacob said, stumbling over his word's slightly. Tilly cleared her throat as she nodded.

"Oh."

"Anyway," Penny cut in changing the subject, "Maybe I do like Ophelia."

"Wait are you being serious? Or are you doing that changing the subject thing before it gets extremely awkward?" Tilly asked.

"I'm being serious," Penny replied looking over Tilly's shoulder to Jacob who looked both proud and thankful.

"Thank you," he mouthed.

"It's getting late," Jacob commented looking over at the clock and reading that it was half past ten.

"I call dibs on the floor," Penny said making the other two people in the room give her a confused look.

"What?"

"I'll sleep on the floor this time," she shrugged and left to get the bedding from Ada's room.

Tilly turned to Jacob once Penny left the room, "Are you going to tell me who you like then?"

"I told you, you won't know her."

"What's her name?"

"Does it matter?" he asked.

"Yes," she sighed.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a nosey person and I want to know," she replied staring at him with her arm crossed.

"Fine. Her name is Amelia," he told her giving the girl a random name. "Happy now?"

"Yeah," she said before leaving her room and walking downstairs.

Jacob closed his eyes in frustration letting out a sigh as Penny walked back in, "Where's T gone?"

"She was pestering me about a name so I gave her a random one and she walked off," he told her. "What do I do?"

"Either keep up with the lie or tell her the truth. Either way I'm not picking sides," she answered placing the bedding on the floor, laying down on it as Jacob laid next to her.

"What if we don't work out and our friendship gets ruined and then we all fall apart?" he whispered.

"What if you do work out though?"

"I can't lose her, Pen. I love her too much,"

"Tilly? What happened?" Polly asked as the girl sat down next to her. She looked at her niece who looked heartbroken.

"He doesn't like me back," she whispered.

Polly gave her niece a sympathetic look before embracing her in a hug, stoking her hair to stop her from crying, "Who?"

"Jake."

Polly's eyebrows furrowed as she pulled away from the hug and held the girls face in her hands, "Why do you think that?"

"He was talking to Penny and he said he liked someone so I asked who and he said he liked a girl called Amelia," she explained, tears welling in her eyes again.

Tommy had walked in hearing his sister's broken voice ignoring the two as he made his way upstairs to Tilly's bedroom.

"Who's Amelia?" he asked the two teens.

"What?" Penny asked sitting up.

"Who is Amelia, eh?" he asked again.

"She doesn't exist," Penny began. "We made her up because Jake's too much of a baby to admit that he likes Tilly."

"Oh," Tommy said and left the room, leaving the two teenagers to look at each other.

"What the fuck just happened?" Jacob asked.

"You just unintentionally broke T's heart and Tommy went into protective brother mode," Penny replied, patting his shoulder.

"Brilliant, now Tilly and Tommy hate me," he sighed and sat up when they heard the stairs creak again. Tilly walking in and making her way over to her bed not sparing either of them a glance as she turned to face the wall.

Penny had drifted off to sleep while Tilly stared at the wall and Jacob stared at the ceiling, "Are you still awake?"

No reply.

"Tilly, I know you're awake," he tried again.

"Go to sleep," she whispered.

"Not until you speak to me," he whispered back sitting up.

"I just did. Now go to sleep," she rolled her eyes.

"Til-"

"Go to sleep, Jacob," she said forcefully, Jacob wincing at the use of his full name. "I'll speak to you in the morning or when you have time for me now."

"What are you going on about?" he asked.

"Your girlfriend. Or did you forget about her?"

"Who?"

"I don't know, Amelia or whatever her name was," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Oh," he cleared his throat. "Tilly, I don't want to lose you."

"You haven't lost me. Just go to sleep,"

Jacob sighed as he laid back down eventually falling asleep while Tilly silently cried into her pillow which eventually put her to sleep.