make sure to read twenty one first!

trigger warning: death

Florence had been sitting in the Shelbys' front room for what felt like a lifetime, watching the two babies as Ada fussed about getting ready upstairs. Florence wasn't exactly sure what the girl was doing, given that Tommy had told them both to leave with great urgency.  In the time that Ada had been upstairs Florence had managed to make a call to George, who promised to meet her and Ada somewhere between the Bull Ring and Small Heath. 

Knowing that they could both be at risk out in the open, Florence had placed her revolver in her bag, in case Kimber's men managed to find them both.

"Put that on," Ada appeared in front of her, handing her a long black jacket, while she stood dressed head to toe in black, as though she was dressed for a funeral.

"Ada, we'll hardly blend in at the Bull Ring dressed like this," Florence sighed.

"We're not going to the Bull Ring," Ada told her firmly, "We're going to prove a point."

"What are you talking about?" Florence frowned.

"All those men, they have families, wives and children wondering whether or not they'll make it home tonight, I'm not going to stand here and let them stage a massacre across our streets," Ada told her, and Florence feared it might be the worst idea she'd heard from the girl.

"We can't do that, Tommy said we need to go somewhere safe," Florence attempted to reason with her.

"I know you've got Elijah as a father figure for Daisy, but do you really want that little girl growing up with a memory of Tommy that only exists in photographs and stories?" Ada asked, "You can stay here if you want, but I'm going with or without you."

"Alright," Florence sighed, agreeing with every word that Ada had said, "We should hurry, they'll be here soon."

The two women made the way out of the house into the crisp winter air, pushing their prams in which their babies slept. Florence knew that Tommy would have a word or two to say about her involvement in Ada's plan, but she agreed with Ada, she needed those boys to be okay.

"You know Tommy will go mad when he sees us, don't you?" Florence sighed as the two women sped down the street, pushing their respective prams.

"That's the least of our worries," Ada replied, "I know this whole thing is stupid, but we have to stop them."

"I hope we're not too late," Florence muttered as the two women made their way around a corner, closing in on the Garrison, where they expected the men to be.

"They haven't started shooting yet, surely that's a good thing," Ada attempted to reassure the girl.

"We can only hope," Florence answered before they reached another corner which led onto the street outside the Garrison. Florence peered round the corner to be met with a sight of the Peaky Blinders facing Kimber's men, who easily outnumbered them.

"What's happening?" Ada whispered as Florence kept her eyes on the two groups of men, with guns pointed at each other.

"Our boys are outnumbered, Freddie's made it," Florence muttered, "And Danny Whizz Bang, I thought he was dead?"

"Come on," Ada whispered, pushing Karl's pram as Florence followed after her, pushing Daisy who remained asleep.

"Move!" Ada exclaimed as she shoved through the crowd of Kimber's men, followed by Florence.

"What are you doing?" Freddie shouted as he laid eyes on Ada, the look on Tommy's face asking the same question as he stared at Florence.

"I believe you boys call this no man's land," Ada replied as she stopped in the gap between the two groups of men, Florence doing the same.

"Ada," Freddie pleaded, with his gun pointed at Kimber's men.

"Shut up and listen," Ada warned.

"Have you lost your mind?" Freddie asked.

"I said shut up!" Ada shouted as Florence stood in front of Tommy, not daring to look at him as she kept her eyes on Ada.

"Now, most of you were in France," Ada continued, addressing the whole group, "So you all know what happens next, I've got brothers and a husband here but you've all got somebody waiting for you."

As Ada spoke Florence's nightmare proceeded to get worse, as over the shoulders of Kimber's men she saw her mother, who quickly recognised her, "Florence?"

Imelda dropped her bags of shopping and hurried towards the sight of the stand off as she rushed to be at her daughter's side, "Florence, what the fuck are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"

"Probably," Florence replied as she glanced at Kimber and then over her shoulder at Tommy, before whispering to her mother, "He has to be okay, for Daisy."

"My God, Florence," Imelda muttered in disbelief, slowly realising the depth of her daughter's statement, "I could kill him myself for putting you in the middle of this."

"I did that myself, Mum," Florence whispered as Ada's words caught her attention.

"We are both wearing black in preparation," Ada explained, gesturing at Florence before looking at Freddie, "I want you to look at me, I want you all to look at me, who'll be wearing black for you? Think about them, think about them right now."

"Florence," Tommy muttered through gritted teeth, "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I don't have a fucking clue," Florence whispered, keeping her eyes on Ada.

"Imelda, please get her out of here," Tommy muttered to the girl's mother.

"Come on, Floss, it's not safe," Imelda pleaded with her daughter as she held onto her arm.

"Fight if you want to, but us two and those babies ain't moving anywhere," Ada warned the men.

"She's right, you know," Kimber spoke up, catching Florence and Imelda's attention as they turned to face him, "Why should all you men die? It should just be them who's caused it."

Kimber pointed his gun at Tommy, but in front of Tommy stood Florence, and before Kimber could even pull the trigger, Florence had been pushed to the side. Florence hit the ground as the sound of a bullet being fired rang through her ears, followed by two more in close succession.

Slowly, Florence looked to her right, to see Danny Whizz Bang lying in a puddle, blood soaking his shirt as the sound around her remained muffled, as though her heartbeat was amplified inside her head.

She looked back to her left, in search of her mother, but what followed sickened her as she watched her mother fall to her knees, her hand pressed against her stomach, blood running down her skin.

"Tommy," Florence looked up at the man who had promised to protect her to see blood dripping from his hand too before she crawled across the ground to be by her mother's side.

Tommy glanced at Florence, and then at Imelda, realising what Billy Kimber had done. Fuelled by adrenaline and anger as Kimber began to laugh at his handiwork, Tommy pulled his gun, pointing it at Kimber and firing, hitting him point blank in the forehead before Kimber's lifeless body fell to the ground.

"Ma, it'll be alright," Florence insisted, praying to whatever god would listen as she pressed her hand to her mother's wound, remembering what to do from what Polly had taught her once, "We'll get a doctor to help you, okay?"

"Flo, I don't think..." Imelda muttered, "There's anything they can do, my sweet girl."

"Don't say that," Florence exclaimed, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

"Enough!" Tommy shouted at the men that surrounded and stood opposite him, "Kimber and I fought this battle one on one, it's over, go home to your families."

Wordlessly, Kimber's men followed Tommy's orders, scooping up their boss' body and dragging him away from the scene of such tragedy.

"Ma," Florence whispered as she hovered over her mother, who lay on the dirty ground, blood pouring from a wound to her abdomen, "You're going to be alright, we're going to make this okay."

"Florence," Imelda whispered, clinging to her daughter's wrist, both of their hands covered in blood as Florence attempted to prevent any further blood from escaping from the wound, "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"You can tell me when you're better, alright?" Florence replied, attempting to stifle her tears, "The boys can get help."

"Flo, there's something you need to know," Imelda wheezed, just loud enough that only Florence could hear her words as blood continued to rush from her wound, knowing she didn't have long left, "You have a brother, in London."

"What?" Florence whispered in disbelief, "We can find him together, you'll get better and we'll find him."

"Florence," Imelda winced, her skin going pale, "You make sure Daisy knows just how much her Grandma loves her."

"You'll tell her yourself," Florence replied, looking up in search of Tommy for reassurance, "Tell her," She pleaded with him, "Please!"

She looked back down at her mother, the woman's eyes were still and her lips were parted, but no breath escaped them. Florence knew what that meant, her mother was dead. She had lost the one person who kept her a Dawson.

"Florence," Tommy crouched beside her, ignoring agonising pain caused by the bullet wound to his shoulder, "She's gone."

"She can't be, Tommy," Florence sobbed as a fountain of tears escaped her eyes, "I can't do this without her."

"I know," Tommy whispered, wrapping his arms around her, letting her head rest against his chest as she sobbed, not caring how much his body hurt, the pain he felt in his heart as he cradled her was more than double what he felt from the bullet wound, "She was so proud of you, Florence."

"Tom, you need to get yourself patched up," Arthur muttered to his brother, his hands trembling as he looked at Imelda's dead body.

Tommy looked up at his two brothers, "She needs me."

"We'll take care of her, Tom," John assured his brother, "She won't thank you for bleeding out on her."

"Florence," Tommy whispered to the girl, "Arthur and John are going to take care of you, alright?"

Florence didn't utter a word, so Tommy took his chance and let go of the girl, standing up and making his way back to the pub.

"Floss," John knelt beside Florence, feeling uneasy at the death of someone who meant so much to him and his family, and was innocent to everything that had unfolded between Tommy and Billy Kimber, "I am so sorry."

"I have to tell Polly, Polly needs to know," Florence panicked as she quickly stood up, looking at the two Shelby men, her whole body shaking, "Will you take care of my mother?"

"Florence you're in no fit state to go anywhere on your own," John told her as he stood in front of her, "Arthur can stay here and help Jeremiah take your mother some place nice and safe, and we'll take baby Daisy to find Polly, okay?"

"Alright," Florence whispered, "Arthur, can you find George? He's somewhere between Small Heath and the Bull Ring."

"Of course, Floss." Arthur nodded.

John took Daisy's pram, looking down at the little girl who had amazingly managed to sleep through the whole thing, not a care running through her innocent little mind. He held his arm out and Florence held onto it, looking down at her daughter and feeling that she had failed her.

The pair slowly walked back past the Garrison and towards Watery Lane as Jeremiah and Arthur ensured that the men took as much care with Imelda's body as they would a priceless piece of jewellery.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, John," Florence whispered, tears staining her cheeks as she clung to him. She never imagined when she woke up that morning, sitting beside her mother as they ate breakfast that it would be the last day she had with her. She couldn't even bring herself to think of the revelation her mother gave her as she died, knowing that somewhere out there she had a brother.

"No one does, when Martha died I didn't have a clue," John told her as they continued walking towards Watery Lane, "Some days it hurts more than others, but as painful as it sounds, you learn to live with it."

"I think what hurts most is that Daisy will never know what it's like to be loved by her," Florence whispered.

"She will, Flo," John assured her as he continued to push the pram, "Because your mother loved you more than anything or anyone, and that love now exists in you, so by loving your daughter, your mother will be loving her too."

"You're a good man, John," Florence replied.

"I'm not so sure, Florence," John sighed.

As they turned a corner they ran straight into Polly, who's eyes were wide as she took in the solemn look on John's face and the blood on Florence's skin.

"What's happened?" She whispered, "Is Tommy alright? Is it Arthur?"

"They boys are fine," John replied, glancing down at Florence who's eyes had proceeded to well up again, "It's Imelda."

"No," Polly exhaled, putting her hands to her mouth, "That can't be."

"Kimber killed her," John told her, aware of just how unsteady Florence was, "He was aiming for Tommy, who got shot in the shoulder."

"I'll kill him myself," Polly gritted.

"Tommy shot him," Florence whispered.

"Oh, Florence," Polly sighed, wrapping her arms around the girl, "I am so sorry, we are all here for you, whatever you need, you and that little girl will always be our family."

"She's gone, Pol," Florence whispered, "I'll never see her again."

"I know, sweet girl," Polly attempted to comfort her, "They take the best ones first."

Florence knew the words were meant to be comforting, but all it did was deepen the pain she felt. She knew she would never see her mother again except in her dreams. Daisy would grow up without Imelda by her side, she'd see pictures of the woman and have questions to ask.

In the end Polly and John had taken Florence and Daisy back to Polly's house, letting them rest while they waited for George. He was just as devastated as the rest of the Shelby boys had been. To him Imelda was the maternal figure he needed as a child, with a soft temperament and loving tone, he had on many occasions wished for her to be his mother.

Once the initial shock had washed over Florence she became jaded, haunted by images of her mother's dead body. She had sat in silence, hoping that her baby girl wouldn't cry or need her until George suggested that he take her home to Elijah, who was still unaware of the situation. Florence promptly concluded that was what she needed, to see Elijah, to be with Elijah, to be comforted by Elijah.

George and Florence drove back to the house she shared with Elijah in complete silence. George couldn't think of the right words to say, and Florence didn't have the energy to string a sentence together. The sun had set by the time they pulled into the gravel driveway, meaning that Elijah would most likely be home from work.

Once the car had parked up outside of the house George took Daisy from Florence and placed her into the pram before holding his arm out to Florence as they walked up to the front door. George pushed the door open, letting Florence into the house, following behind her with the pram as she lingered in the hallway, unsure of where to go, even in her own home.

"Florence, is that you?" The pair heard Elijah's voice as he approached from the drawing room, promptly appearing in front of them. Elijah looked between his brother and his wife, noticing the dishevelled look on Florence's face, "Darling, what's wrong? I didn't expect you to come back here tonight."

"There was an accident, Elijah," George muttered.

"It wasn't an accident, George," Florence replied bluntly, numb to everything around her.

"What happened?" Elijah asked, noticing the state of Florence's dress, "Is that blood?"

"It's my mother's," Florence whispered, her voice wobbling as tears formed in her eyes, "She's dead."

Unable to carry the weight of the grief that sat upon her shoulders, she slowly crumbled to her knees.  As she fell, Elijah ran to her side, wrapping his arms around her as her body melted against his. Her sobs were guttural enough to stir Daisy from her sleep, startling both Elijah and George.

"I'll take Daisy up to the nursery," George mouthed at his brother.

George picked Daisy up from the pram, rocking her in his arms as he made his way up the stairs. In the same breath Elijah was sitting on the floor, cradling Florence as she lay across his lap, clinging to his body as she sobbed into the material of his shirt.

Elijah didn't have a clue what might have happened, and he didn't dare ask Florence given the state that she was in. Imelda was one of the sweetest souls he had known, and whatever her fate had been, Elijah knew that she didn't deserve it. She wouldn't get to witness Florence flourish as a mother, or Daisy's childhood, she was robbed of it all.

"Darling, why don't we get you cleaned up?" Elijah suggested, and as he realised that Florence seemed too fragile to move, he used his initiative and scooped her up in his arms. She wordlessly held onto his neck as he carried her up the stairs to the room where one of the maids had finished preparing a bath that he intended on using before Florence had arrived, but he could tell that she needed it more.

They reached the room, and once they were inside, Elijah gently closed the door before helping Florence as she sat on the chair at the side of the room, opposite the bath.

"Shall we get these clothes off and get you into the bath?" Elijah asked, realising just how stained with blood her clothes were. She simply nodded, staring at the wall, with a certain expression void of emotion.

Elijah helped Florence out of her clothes, discarding them in a pile on the floor that could be dealt with later, there was no other motivation behind it except to help her feel comfortable. He helped her across the floor to the bath, lowering her into the water as she brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her body.

"I'll give you a moment, and I'll check on George and Daisy," Elijah told her softly.

"No," Florence grabbed onto his wrist, "I don't want to be on my own."

"That's okay, I'm sure Daisy's being an angel for her uncle George," Elijah smiled as he knelt on the floor beside Florence.

"It was horrible," Florence whispered as her body trembled, "Billy Kimber shot her and now he's dead, Tommy Shelby killed him."

"I should've been there, to keep you both safe," Elijah muttered, feeling riddled with guilt that he hadn't known about the events that took place on the streets of Small Heath.

"No, I can't lose you too," Florence replied, "You're the only good thing that Daisy and I have left."

"I'll stay, and I won't go anywhere," Elijah assured her.

Once she had bathed, Florence and Elijah lay side by side in bed, Florence dressed in a nightgown and wrapped in Elijah's robe which almost swallowed her slender body. George had left to return to his own home, while Daisy lay asleep in the company of the nannies that the Harringtons had kept on standby for the young family's return.

In the hours that had passed Florence played her mother's death over and over in her head. There were several people she blamed, but what she knew is that the next time she crossed paths with Grace, it would be anything except pleasant. It had nothing to do with how Tommy may have felt about her, it was the blonde woman's involvement in the whole affair that brought Kimber to the streets of Small Heath. If that meant that Florence would scratch the girl's name into a bullet to avenge her mother's death then so be it.

She thought about her brother, wondering where he was, what he was like, what kind of life he lived, how he came to be in London. She knew there was one person who would know the truth, Polly.

As Florence stared at the ceiling, she couldn't help but feel trapped, even in the large room, she felt caged in. She stood up and made her way over to the window, as per usual, a man was sitting on the bench across the road, reading a newspaper. She looked down at the driveway, to see that parked beside Elijah's car was a car she recognised as belonging to Tommy Shelby.

She turned to Elijah and muttered, "I'm going outside for some fresh air."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Elijah asked as he sat up in bed.

"No, it's okay," Florence assured him, "My head's busy with thoughts, I just need to clear them."

"Alright," Elijah nodded, understanding that he would be led by Florence in however her grief had manifested itself.

Once Florence had made her way downstairs she slipped outside into the garden. It was smaller than the garden at Harrington House, but it backed onto the woods, with rows of leafless trees staring back at her. Amongst the trees there was a faint light glowing, and the longer she stared at it, she realised that it was Tommy with a lit cigarette between his lips.

She slowly walked down the length of the garden, her arms wrapped around her body as the harsh winter air nipped at her skin.

"If Elijah found you in here you know what would happen." Florence muttered as she reached Tommy.

"I needed to see you." Tommy replied, dropping his nearly burnt out cigarette onto the ground, stubbing it out with his foot.

"Why?" Florence asked, noticing that he hadn't changed out of the shirt he'd been wearing when he was shot.

"To see how you are," Tommy replied casually.

"I think you could probably figure that out for yourself, don't you?" Florence whispered.

"You're the only person in my life who's never lied to me," Tommy told the girl, "The only person who's ever allowed me to make sense of the world."

"And now I'm married, to a man who cares about me and my child," Florence replied, not daring to look him in the eye.

"I've always cared about you, Florence," Tommy whispered.

"Have you?" Florence scoffed, "You've got a very odd way of showing it."

"We're different people to who we were a year ago," Tommy attempted to reason with her.

"You're right, Tommy Shelby a year ago would've never let himself fall for an undercover copper," Florence replied as she stepped towards him, staring up into his cold blue eyes, "Polly told me everything, everything that you chose to leave out, I know who Grace is, and I know what she did."

"She's leaving the city," Tommy assured her.

"And she asked you to go with her, didn't she?" Florence laughed humorlessly, "And there was a part of you that considered it, despite knowing how easily she betrayed you."

"I'm not leaving Small Heath," Tommy assured her.

"I suppose you brought it on yourself, didn't you?" Florence whispered, anger pumping through her veins, "When Tommy Shelby did the unthinkable and fell in love with an undercover copper."

"That's not fair, Florence." Tommy answered bluntly.

"You want to talk about what's not fucking fair?" Florence replied, shoving Tommy in the chest, "Let's start with my mother taking a bullet that was meant for you!"

"I'm sorry," Tommy replied, riddled with guilt.

"If you had never told that barmaid of yours that today was the day you planned to move on Kimber none of this would've happened and my daughter would still have a grandmother," Florence told him firmly, the words felt venomous on her tongue as she spoke.

"I will do whatever-"

"We're done," Florence replied, "I don't ever want to see you again."

"Florence-"

"Goodbye, Tommy."

Without another word Florence turned and made her way back up to the house she had learned to call home. As much as it pained him to do so, Tommy let her go, because he knew that was what she needed, regardless of what he wanted. 

Once Florence was inside the house she made her way upstairs to the nursery where Daisy was sleeping with a nanny to watch over her. As Florence entered the room she saw the woman dressed in black sitting beside Daisy's crib, reading a book.

"You can go," Florence told her as the nanny looked up to meet the young woman's eyes, "I'll look after my daughter."

"Mrs Harrington, my job is to stay with her overnight," The nanny replied.

"And you're free to go, I can raise my own daughter, that's what I'll do," Florence reiterated.

"Very well, Mrs Harrington," The nanny nodded before promptly leaving the room.

"Hello, little lady," Florence whispered as she approached her daughter's crib, admiring her daughter who was fast asleep, "It's just us now, my love."

"Florence," She looked over her shoulder to see Elijah standing in the doorway, "Why did you send the nanny away?"

"I told you before, I can look after my own daughter," Florence replied, "I don't need staff for that."

"Mother thinks you should take some time." Elijah told her calmly.

"I don't give a fuck what your mother thinks." Florence replied, unsurprised by how quickly Margaret had managed to find a way to involve herself in the situation, "Sorry, I don't mean to take it out on you, it's just this place and today."

"I know, and it's alright," Elijah assured her as he approached her, standing behind her as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Whatever you need, I'll do what I can to make it right."

"Do your parents still have the London house?" Florence asked in impulse, feeling somewhere deep in her heart that the next best thing for her to do was to go searching for her brother.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Elijah replied.

"I can't don't think I can face the idea of being here any longer," Florence told him, "When the funeral is done I think we should leave Birmingham, I think London could be our home."

"Are you sure?" Elijah asked, knowing just how much there was that tied Florence to the city.

"There's nothing left for me here," Florence whispered, "You and Daisy, you're the only family I've got."

author's note: don't panic! it doesn't end here, she won't hate tommy forever, he's going to redeem himself with time - this is a tommy shelby fanfic after all ;)
also, i hated doing that to imelda, but this chapter is going to be a catalyst for what's to come...
the next chapter serves as an epilogue for this volume which i'm very excited about...