-----

~ The Aftermath ~

!TW!❗️SEXUAL ASSULT❗️
!Strong Language and Violence!

-----

Ivy didn't know how to feel. She almost felt stupid. She was now a Shelby and she knew it wasn't a particularly good thing. She was apart of a family that run a gang and did legitimate business. Ivy didn't want that, she came here for a normal life. Killing and hurting people wasn't her thing, she's not a violent person. She would help whem she knew someone close to her was in danger.
The last time she hurt someone was when she was 15. It was a time in her life she would never forget. The fact John and Thomas witnessed it made her feel embarrassed and ashamed.

-----

*Flashback*

It was a normal day in small Heath, so Ivy thought...

A dark summer night on August of 1910, Ivy had just left the docks from hanging out with a few friends. It was around the time eleven P.M. She stood near a pub that was full of drunken men singing. She was waiting to meet John and Tommy. As Ivy was waiting a man was thrown out the pub.
"I wasn't fuckin' doing anything you bastard!" The man slurred, pulling himself up off the floor. He then looked right at Ivy, she gulped and looked to the floor.
"Was you just fuckin' looking at me?" The man yelled, he stumbled his way slowly towards Ivy. She ignored him.
"I said, was you looking at me?" He repeated. He was in Ivy's face. His breath reeked of alcohol. Ivy shook her head. "N-no I wasn't."
"Ya' was." He barely whispered. The man was breathing heavily in her face, he was almost rocking back and forth. His eyes were bloodshot and his pupils were dilated.
"Are you a whore?" He spat
"What?" Ivy replied.
"I said, are you a fuckin' whore?"
"N-no I'm not." Ivy whispered shaking her head.
"Ya' dressed like one." he whispered into her ear. The stranger grabbed her wrist and pulled her, Ivy pulled away tugging her arm back.
"Get off me!" She yelled. He tooted and shook his head.
"You can't say no, you're a mans property,"
Ivy tried to walk away but as she attempted, he grabbed her by the back of her head, pulling her hair. She pulled his hand trying to get him off but he dragged her into a side street right next to the pub. Ivy was shouting for help, her eyes all watery from her hair being tugged. He slammed her into a brick wall, her arm hitting a drain pipe. Tears flooded her eyes, drowning her cheeks.
"Please stop!" Ivy sobbed.
She didn't want to believe this was happening. She feared for her life. She wasn't going to let this happen. Ivy looked around, everything almost blurry. Her ears starting to ring and her breathing got heavier. As the man was undoing his belt, Ivy took her opportunity to get away. She pushed him away and tried to run. But he was quick and pulled her back by her hair once again.
"Shut the fuck up and do as I say you little shit!" He yelled into her ear.
Her head was pulled back into him.
The man pushed her head into the brick wall, slightly bending her over.
"Help someone, help!" Ivy yelled crying over and over.
"Will you shut the fuck up!" He yelled at her again. He pushed her face even harder into the brick wall, causing her face to graze from the roughness of the bricks.
"Please just let me go." Ivy begged trying to push herself off the wall.
He ignored her and pulled her dress up, revelling her panties.
"Oh good, easy access." he whispered to himself.
Ivy continued to yell, scream and cry. But nobody came.
He started to pull down her panties and revealed her whole bottom half.

Thomas and John left the pub, outside that pub is where they were supposed to meet Ivy.
"Pol says when we get back she'll cook" Tom said pulling a cigarette from his pocket.
"She's only doing that for Ivy," John joked. Thomas laughed.
"Speaking of Ivy its past eleven, where is she?" John asked, pulling a face.
"You know what she's li-" Thomas stopped to a sound of a girl screaming.
"You hear that?" Tom asked holding his hand out, while still holding his cigarette.
"Helppp!" Someone sobbed.
"Down there!" John shouted. He pulled Thomas's arm. He lead him to the back of a side street.
"There's no one there John," Tom slapped Johns arm of him.
"Please stop!" a girl cried.
The both of them looked at each other with concerned faces.
"No there is" John rushed.
John and Thomas ran down the street. They couldn't believe what they saw.
"Ivy?" John yelled.
The man that was assaulting Ivy pulled away and tried to pull his trousers up. Ivy was free and as she stood straight her dress fell down, covering her up. She pushed the drunk man into the wall. The side of his head hit the drain pipe next to her. Thomas kicked and punched him multiple times in different places.
"Come here, come here." John gently pulled Ivy into a hug. She cried and fell into his arms, then collapsing to her knees.
"I didn't want to, he wouldn't stop." Ivy repeated over and over.
"It's okay, we're here now." John said holding her tight.
"He wouldn't stop it John," She sobbed. Her cheeks soaking with tears, burning the grazes on the side of her face. Thomas didn't say to much to Ivy, he let John make sure she was okay.

Before Ivy left that night; she spat into the unknown mans face while he was unconscious. She stomped onto his head continuously, she had no more tears left to cry. She was filled with nothing but anger. John tried to stop Ivy but she continued to pound into his head, each time she did was harder and harder. "Ivy stop, stop," "its okay!" Tom said pulling her away.
"No-" "No, no" Ivy weakly replied. She collapsed to the floor again, her face red and her body feeling numb. John picked her up off the floor.
"Take her home John, I'll clean this up." John nodded at Thomas.

From that day forward, it was never really talked about again. Ivy slowly stopped seeing the Shelbys as the days went on. She would never be the same sweet, kind hearted, innocent girl anymore. She was different.
Once her mother found out she moved away with both Ivy, Esme, her other sisters and the rest of the Lee family. This was why she left, she had been assaulted which lead her to killing that man. She was never suspected or wanted for the killing because nobody knew he was dead.

*End of flashback*

-----

The day became dark and everyone danced around the big bomb fire. All the men drinking and singing. Everyone celebrated the wedding of John and Ivy. Everyone seemed to be happy.
Ivy was sat alone on a flower decorated 'just married' bench. She had in her hand a cup of gin.
"You alright?" John asked, he sat next to Ivy splashing his glass of beer around.
She stayed quiet for a moment. Could she actually tell him how she really felt?
"I'm okay," She said putting on a fake smile. John nodded and smiled at her. They sat in silence between the two of them, Ivy was taking in everyone celebrating.
"Do you- find this strange?" Ivy asked breaking the silence between the two.
Even though it wasn't really silent.
"Find what strange?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well you know, this whole wedding. I don't mean to be rude but I find it very unfair, your brother and my mother arranged this marriage John. Isn't that just strange?"
"It was their way of stopping our families from going into a massive war with eachother," John explained, he waved his bear up back at Arthur who was cheering everyone. Some spilled onto Ivy
"Can you not do that!" she scoffed, wiping the beer off herself. John pulled a face at her.
"Look I know you may not be happy with the circumstances right now-" he was then cut off.
"Circumstances?" Ivy questioned.
"You're acting like I had a choice to because I didn't," John was now facing Ivy.
"What if we never fall in love? What if we never work out? Hm? What we gonna do then?" She asked changing her tone of voice.
John shook his head.
"We have to make it work, weather we like it or not."
Ivy rolled her eyes at him trying to turn away.
"Ivy look at me," He said grabbing Ivy's shoulders.
"If we back out there will be one fuck up mighty war and I don't want that, I don't."
Ivy only nodded. They stared at achother for a moment.
"If there's love then there's love, if there's not then there's not. We can't do anythin' about it," John explained.
"So what are we to do if there's not?" Ivy pulled her shoulders away.
John shrugged his shoulders,
"I- I don't know"
John put his arm over Ivy pulling her in. "Let's just talk about this at a better time, yeah? Enjoy yourself tonight, for me."
"Yeah" Ivy replied with a slit-like smile.

"Bloody he'll Ada, calm down!" Arthur shouted.
Ivy nudged John to show what was happening.
"She's going on one John, she's pregnant remember." Ivy reminded, concerned for the girl. John rolled his eyes and pulled Ivys hand to take her with him.
"Spin me around again!" Ada yelled with excitement.
"Ada come on that's enough," Arthur said trying to grab her.
"Right Ada come on, have a rest. Sit down," Thomas said leading her to sit with him.
"Come and look Ivy! Come and look at the family you've joined, come and look at the man who runs it!" Ada kept slapping Thomas's chest.
"He chooses his brothers wife's for them and their not even good ones. And then hunts his own sister down like a rat-"
"Ada shhh," Tommy said holding his hand out.
"and tried to kill his own brother in law!" Ada yelled, shoving Tom who was stood in fount of her.
"Enough now," Polly says.
"Ada that's enough, stop." Arthur snapped.
"Soon Ivy there will be nothing left of ya'," Ada carried on yelling.
"Stop, sit her down!" John spat frustrated.
"You're fucked up life will be even more fucked up than it already is!" Ada began to crouch in pain.
"She doesn't even know what she's Bloody talking about," Arthur almost joked looking down at her.
"Breath Ada, you need to breath." Polly said trying to comfort her.
"Next time Ivy-" Ada stoped in pain.
"Stop it." Polly snapped, trying to pull her up. Ada began to pant.
"You'll be left there next time," Ada panted.
Ivy looked at John because she knew what she was talking about.
"That's enough, shut up Ada!" John yelled.
"John can't save you-" Ada started to pant even more heavily.
"Stop and Breath, Breath," Polly said holding her. Ada continued to pant not able to continue her words. The sound of water splashes between her legs.
"Holy shit, water. Right-" Polly pulled her up from the floor.
"Bloody hell- bloody hell Ada you do pick your times." Arthur shouted flinging his arms out.
"Come on let's get you to the car," Polly said leading Ada towards the car.
John held Ivys hand taking her to the car with the rest of them.
"Polly, Esme has delivered babies before. I'll get her to come?" Ivy asked letting go of Johns hand.
"Right yeah, go get her." She replied
Ivy shouted Esme to come with them.

-----

"Come on." Arthur said holding his hand out to help Esme out the car.
"Nice car John, how does she run?" Thomas asked waiting for him outside.
"Yeah beautiful, really smooth."
John opened the car door for Ivy and gave her a hand out.
"Your sisters in there giving birth and you're out here talking about bloody cars?" Polly remarked letting Esme in the house.
"You going in?" John asked.
"Oh no, my sister will be a better help than me."

-----

The night ended about there for Ivy. She went with the boys to go to the Garrison, however she didn't get drunk like the boys.
She only sat at the bar and talked with Grace. Ivy thought she was an interesting character, she moved from Irland to Birmingham which she found strange. She also found it was strange that Grace kept asking questions about Thomas and the other Shelbys. Not that Ivy knew the answers to them. Something about Grace didn't sit right with her.

Ivy could see right through Grace and her 'innocents' of asking questions. There were secrets that layed deep inside her. She was to find them out, the easy way or the hard way.