Tommy

He stared at the flower that was finally pinned onto the lapel of John's jacket, fresh and clean unlike the others that were discarded little over an hour ago. Tommy was smiling faintly, his face mirroring the grin of Arthur's, though foggily. They could both tell how nervous John was. Everyone was here, dressed in what clothes they could scrounge up so last minute.

"Here she is," Tommy said, nodding his head toward Johnny Dogs, who blocked the view of the bride.

"She better be under fifty," John joked before setting forward.

John kneeled in front of Johnny dogs, eyes trained on the muck and dirt in front of him. But his pallid countenance was immediately replaced by an impressed smirk, the hint of red on his cheeks from the moment he saw her. Humorous glances were sent around as the ceremony started.

"We're here today to join in matrimony this man and this woman. So they can live a life of truth and harmony and togetherness."

Tommy turned, seeing Polly and Ada being lead toward the crowd by Lucille, her hands attached to Finn and Adds, tugging them along hurriedly. He smiled fondly, watching as Lucille nudged his sister to start toward him.

"You look well," he said, turning back to watch his brother shuffle eagerly on his knees.

"Lucille said there's a truce."

He flicked his eyes toward her. "Family day. Your husband couldn't make it?"

"He's not speaking to me. And when he does he calls me a 'fucking Shelby' even though I'm a Thorne now," she said, shaking her head, hands moving subconsciously to her stomach.

"Thorne in my side that's for sure."

Ada broke out into a smirk of disbelief.

"My God, Tommy. You admire him, don't you?" She scoffed, noticing he wouldn't answer, before speaking again. "How long will it be until it's your wedding we're all watching?"

Tommy smiled but said nothing, watching as Johnny Dogs took John and Esme's hands.

"There remains one more part of the ceremony," he said, an impossible grin on his face. "That's the mingling of the two bloods. Where the two families become the one family."

Their palms were cut, blood pooling from their sliced skin like wine. Holding hands, John grinned at the girl, eyes searching her face, as if committing it to memory. Tommy couldn't help but feel relieved. His brother would be alright.

"I now pronounce you man and wife! Come on, John, kiss the bride will you!"

"Adds go dance with Uncle Finn!"

Tommy watched as Lucille spotted him, leading his daughter to Finn so they could run off again. Seeing the little girl made him smile- she was always so radiant, so happy with everything around her. Like her mother, he thought.

"What's got you smiling like that?" Lucille asked, nudging into his side, wrapping a hand around him.

Tommy raised his brows, sending a sly smile.

"Good thing I trust you," she laughed, eyeing the married couple that now sat against one of the caravan's bubbling with joy from the drink that sloshed about between them. "How'd you manage to convince him?"

"I always manage with my ways."

She smiled, stepping backwards to pull him toward the music. I don't doubt that. Come here."

"Come and look Emse! Come and look at the family you've joined! Look at the man who runs it!"

Tommy sighed, shaking his head lazily. Ada was off on one, screeching about family as if she hadn't left them to live with a man she hadn't married till not long ago. He supposed he was being selfish, but he had no patience for it. Not when she'd end up ruining things. He'd only asked her to sit down after all. She had the baby to think of.

"He chooses his brothers wives! He leaves a woman pregnant with his child for years in France! He hunts his own sister down like a rat and tries to kill his brother-in-law!" She screeched, yanking her elbow away from Arthur's reaching hand.

"Ada that's enough!"

"Now he won't let me have a fucking dance!" She scoffed hysterically. "Not even at a fucking wedding!"

Ada's glare could have scared anyone. It was damn near to scaring him, but Lucille cut in with Polly straight on her heals. Tommy would have sighed, telling her to sort herself out and dance if she 'bloody wanted to'. He was going to... until Ada let out a panicked cry, hands clinging to her stomach.

"Holy shit, water," Polly breathed, clinging to Ada's gripping hand.

"Bloody hell Ada, you do pick your times," Arthur exclaimed, hands leaning against his head as he wandered away.

"It's alright Ada. Everything will be fine," Lucille soothed, leading her carefully to the car as her face dropped with hot tears. "Me and Polly have done this ourselves. You're in careful hands."

"You're going to have to breathe Ada," Lucille said. "No point in doing this birth if you're not going to breath."

"Slow her up. Nice and easy," Arthur said, belting out a laugh as he slapped the side of the car.

"Story of your fucking life arthur."

John pulled up with a skid outside of the house, jumping from the car with a laugh. Esme hopped out first, reaching out a hand to ease Ada out from her seat. She was moaning and crying, screaming shouts of profanities as she toppled her weight to her feet.

"Nice car John. How she run?" Tommy asked, coming from his own car, Polly and the kids behind him.

"Beautiful. Really smooth."

Aunt Pol scoffed, taking her niece by the arm. "Your sisters giving birth and you're talking about a car."

"Not much is men can do now Pol."

"Except go get drunk."

"Eh, no!" Lucille called after them, transferring Ada's hand to Esme's shoulder. "Nothing you can do except watch the children."

Finn was already stood behind his brother, hands in pockets, acting like a big boy.

"Don't worry. I'll look after her. You look after Ada," he said, shaking his head.

"Don't forget about your brother."

"I love you," he said, ignoring the laughs and comments from his brothers. "Go on."

Tommy turned, flicking his cigarette to the floor and nudging his head for the children to hurry in front. They giggled, shoes scuffing against the charcoal road. There was something about the sight that reminded him of his own brothers, hobbling down the street after one of their scuffles at the local school.

The image brought him back down like an anchor. To what end? Would this still be happening when they're older?

He shook off, quickening abruptly. "Right, come on."

Polly let out a sigh. "Wait. There's one man should be here."

He couldn't disagree. Freddie had once been his best mate, and Ada... his little sister. Tommy sighed, closing his eyes.

"You're right Pol. Freddie should be here."

Polly chuckled, eyes widening. "Is that a heart beat I hear inside that chest? I though it only came out for her."

Tommy ignored her, instead glancing to the flush on Lucille's cheeks.

"The truce lasts till sunrise. On my path, tell Freddie it's safe."

"I should go. It's my wedding night."

John tipped back the last of his drink, the last of the golden liquid slipping down his throat. He slid the glass across to Grace, who was collecting the evidence of their lazy enjoyment of the night. Standing up, John coughed out, glancing to his brother, just to be pulled back again, landing against the plush seat with a thump.

Outside their room, the chatter of drunks could be heard, muffled by the thick walls. It was like their own little world, in the private den, infiltrated and disturbed by no one. Tommy liked it like that.

"You sit down. You don't want to be among women when there's a baby coming," Arthur laughed, eyeing the barmaid as she smiled down at the table.

"You think her husband will take the same advice and stay away?" Grace asked, scooping another pink of beer from the bucket, sloshing it as it was placed in front of John.

"Freddie will be there. Nothing will keep him away. Tommy said it's alright for him to be there. Isn't that right?" He slurred, slouching further into his seat.

"That's right. I'm all heart tonight," he said, letting Ada pull on his trouser leg as he sat down.

Grace's eyebrows raised. "Who's this little one?"

"Ada. Adds. My daughter."

Grace stuttered out in surprise, ducking her head as she pulled the bucket of beer from the table, slipping it into the bar and shutting the door behind her again. John laughed, his tone high pitched and silly, making the little girl laugh. 

"We all know who's made him go soft," Arthur chuckled, gripping to his brother's shoulders as he slid across the seat. 

"Tommy. Can I have a drink?"

Tommy sighed. "No Finn. You cannot."

"But it was my birthday last week!"

"When you're older lad. You and Adds both," John shouted.

Tommy blinked down at his youngest brother. He looked just like John when he was that age, from what he could remember: wide eyes, cropped hair and a cheeky smile. Leaning forward, Tommy smiled.

"Come here. I've got a game you can play."

Finn beamed, stepping forward to take the coin from his hands.

"Hold this," Tommy said. "And flick with your finger."

Finn did as he said, flipping the coin forward against the back of the wall, letting it rattle to a stop on the furthest corner of the room. Tommy nudged him.

"Now jump to get it. It's a race," he said. "You try, Adds. There you go."

The little girl picked the coin up in her small hands, balancing it against her fingers and throwing it forward.

"There you go."

Lucille

"Keep going. That's right. Push."

Ada moaned out in agony. Perhaps it was a reaction to Polly's antagonising coaxing or annoyance at the relentlessness of her child, but Ada looked nothing more than fed up.

"I am pushing!" She screeched, face beet red and teeth clenched and barred.

"I think it might be the wrong way round," Esmé shouted, twisting her arm so she could feel her stomach.

"Let me feel," Lucille said, shifting her fingers to feel the woman's stomach. "Emse is right."

"Lean her forward," Polly murmured, brushing her hands against a towel.

Ada's face dropped, tears pooling in her eyes. Lucille frowned, hands gripping against her hold.

"I had Adds this way Ada. Your niece. Your in safe hands, sister," she said, smoothing back her hair, which was thick with grime and sweat.

"Not long to go now, darling," Polly said. "There we go, Ada. Push."

Ada screamed and howled, head tutoring back as she heaved out. Lucille held her breath as Ada gave one last push.

The sound of babies cries broke the air.

Such a precious sound, she thought, no matter how tearful it must be. Lucille could remember the sound of Adds' cries, low and quiet like the twinkling of bells.

Polly let out a victorious laugh. "There you go, love."

Ada held the baby boy in her arms, hands trailing delicately over his pinched face, drawing comforting circles over his soft skin as cries soothed. Then an urgent knock rattled the door, and his cries started again.

Esme hurried to pull the door open, letting a shout of exclamation as the man pushed past her, eyes wild as he scurried through to the kitchen.

Freddie Thorne stopped dead in the doorway, face crumpling at the sight of his wife and reborn child.  

"It's a boy Freddie," Ada whispered, turning him gently so his face was visible. "It's a beautiful baby boy."

"There you go," Freddie hummed. Welcome to the world son."

Two fleeting moment of happiness was all they got.

Only minutes after the baby had been born, Lucille watched in horror as Freddie was dragged from the house by police.

She knew then, that there was nothing more impermanent than joy. But Lucille knew the next best thing- she'd felt it when the father of her own child had been pulled away by war- and that was mothership. As that was always permanent, whether you knew it or not.

"Wait till I've had a word with him."

There was no surprise that Polly was furious. Her cheeks were burning, her vision painted such an angry red that she'd had trouble walking forward toward the door.

"Wait, Pol. He gave you his word. His said it under oath."

"And you believe him?" She snapped, yanking the door open as if to dare her to follow.

"I do."

"Then you're not the woman I thought you were. Foolish to think that man can ever change," she said incredulously, half way out into the street.

Lucille followed her out. "Pol, just hear him through."

"Im sick of his damned excuses. I don't need to hear anything from anyone."

The Garrison was empty, the doors shut. But nothing deterred Polly- not even Lucille shouts as she struggled to keep up. It was like the woman was on steroids, her feet moving at an ungodly speed as she stormed toward the pub. Inside, Tommy sat at the bar, his brothers edging out of the doorway of the private room.

"It's a boy," Polly barked.

By the time she'd made it to the pub, her eyes were stained black, craved and red rimmed in her mad haze. She lunged for him, arms gripping at his jacket.

"Pol? Polly. Whoa!" Arthur and John jumped to restrain her.

"Polly! Polly!"

"But the police came and took his father away," she wailed, voice struck with grief. Tommy glanced behind her to Lucille who stood in the doorway. He looked down, noticing the frail ness of his aunt's glare. "Don't you dare look at me like that. You liar!"

Polly shrugged them off, her breathing heavy. She glared one last time, spitting to his feet, before stalking off, brushing past Lucille without a word more.

Gingerly, Lucille stepped forward. "I tried... I tried to reason with her."

Tommy sighed, eyes closing momentarily. "No... No, don't worry," he said. "You know I didn't do this."

"I know, Tommy. You didn't lie."

She'd seen his face after all, when he'd made the promise. It was the same look he gave her when he told her he loved her. The same face he was making now. And there wasn't an inch in her body that doubted him.

"I love you, Lucille."

It was fitting that he should say.

Unedited
Sorry for the enormous wait, sixth form has been so overwhelming these past weeks!