𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔
𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞

Rory poked Finn's side to get him to stop talking as Tommy stepped to the front of the room to give a speech about the Grace Shelby Institute they were opening up for unfortunate children.

He cleared his throat. "Speech!" Arthur called out. "Come on, speech!"

Tommy took a deep breath. "I didn't come here today to make a speech but I will say this, these children are now safe, in our care they will be safe. Because we are from the same cold streets that they are. And in our care, they won't be shipped away to the colonies or separated from kin or made to work for men in their various ways. They will grow up here at home, loved in Birmingham. Because this is our city."

Rory smiled to herself and nodded along.

"By order of the Peaky Blinders!" Arthur shouted. Aurora glanced at him but everybody clapped, some hesitating before doing so. Not everybody in that room agreed with the Shelby family.

"Now let us sing Immortal Invisible." Polly announced.

Rory, after noticing Tommy had slipped out of the room, discretely joined him. He was out in the hall admiring the painting of Grace that sat in the hallway. "You alright, Tom?" Aurora asked from behind him.

Tommy grunted, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

Rory stepped beside him and glanced at him. "She'd be proud of you— that you've done all this." She said. Tommy nodded slightly. "And she'd be happy to know that Charles has his father around." She said, hinting to him as she knew he wasn't around much for his son. "So, you're going to do that, aren't you?" Her words were negotiable.

Tommy looked her in the eye.

"Won't you?" She asked again.

Tommy nodded. "Yes." His answer was simple.

"What you've done is good, Tommy. You know that don't you?" She praised. He nodded once.

Aurora didn't get to speak much more because Michael had appeared behind them. She offered him a smile and took one last look at Tommy before disappearing down the hall to give them a moment.

She didn't go back to where people had gathered. Instead, she found herself watching Father Hughes talk to the group of children at his feet. Her stomach turned. She dug her nails into the skin on her palms and leaned against the wall, watching his lips twist into a wide smile.

It worried her that he had power over such innocent, young souls. He would be working in the institute, obviously. And it honestly worried Aurora.

She watched until another woman came, rounding the children up and taking them elsewhere.

Father Hughes stood at the end of the hall and turned his head slowly toward Aurora. She froze. He smiled at her, flashing his teeth. She didn't love. And then, within seconds, he was gone.

-

Isiah laughed as they watched Finn get a lecture off Arthur over absolutely nothing. Arthur didn't even know what he was talking about. Finn didn't glance back at his friends because he knew he would burst out laughing. Rory cupped a hand over her mouth to quiet her laughs.

"Yeah, alright Artha. Okay." Finn huffed with frustration and turned away from his brother to sit back down.

Rory grinned and poked him in the side, making him jolt. "That sounded interesting, hm?" She teased. Finn glared at her. "I'm not sure he was even speaking English." Finn sighed, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

Isiah looked around for Mikey and Harvey who had disappeared somewhere, most likely getting themselves into trouble.

"So, why aren't Charlotte and Alfie here?" Rory asked Isiah. Isiah shrugged. "Alfie said he was taking her out somewhere— something like that." He said with a sigh. "Have either of you seen Mikey and Harvey?"

Both Finn and Rory looked at each other before shaking their heads. "Don't think so," Finn said.

"Neither." Rory agreed.

She watched as a group of women crowded around Tommy to take a picture. With a raise of her brow, she stood. "I'll go look for them— and i'll get more cigarettes." She said when noticing the almost empty box.

Rory walked between the crowds of people and, before leaving the room, ruffled Karl's hair as he sat playing with one of John's kids.

She stepped out into one of the endless halls of Arrow House and began walking around. The halls were completely empty, no sign of the two boys anywhere.

As she approached the kitchen, her face fell into a frown when a woman was holding Charlie and heading for the back door. "What are you doing?" She shouted, walking toward her. The woman's eyes widened and she hurried out of the door.

A hand grabbed Rory and pulled her backward, shoving her against the wall. The back of her head hit the brick, her eyes going fuzzy for a moment.

The hand let her go and she stood there for a moment, trying to stay stood and keep her balance. She began walking back toward the drawing room and she pushed the door open.

"Tom— Tommy!" She shouted, noticing him in a panic as he asked around for Charlie. "A woman went out the back door with— with Charles." She said, her sentence slightly broken.

He furrowed his brows and began pointing, sending his brothers and Ada in different directions to search for the boy.

She held onto the door frame and Isiah made it to her first as Finn had to follow Tommy's order. "Did you find them?" He asked. She shook her head slowly. Isiah held her shoulders, keeping her upright.

"Rory, what happened to your head?" A voice asked from behind her. It was Harvey with Mikey at his side. "Where the fuck have you been?" Isiah hissed at the pair. They looked at each other. "Outside but.. Rory you're bleeding." Mikey said, referring to the back of her head.

She lifted her fingers to touch the back of her head that had been stinging. When bringing her fingers to look at them, blood had covered her fingertips.

"Jesus fuck.." Isiah whispered. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "I don't know— I saw the woman and then someone shoved me against the wall. I must've hit my head." She tried to explain, her eyes going fuzzy again.

Harvey winced. "Get her in the car, follow them back to the house." Isiah ordered, knowing he had to go with Finn to search for Charlie.

Mikey nodded and took Rory, holding her arm incase she somehow fell over. She blinked hard a few times. "You aren't gonna faint are you?" Harvey asked. She glared at him. "What!? I don't know what i'd do." He said honestly.

-

Rory sat down in a chair in the getting den just moments before Tommy stormed in, searching for the phone. The next she heard was a loud bang which made her jump. "Did you break the phone—" Polly asked as she got up from her chair to check.

Aurora placed her head in her hands.

"You broke the phone... it's alright we have another." Polly reassured her distressed nephew as she went to get the other phone.

The door opened and Ada walked in, looking around. "Tommy!" Ada called out. "Ada?" Tommy asked.

"There's somebody outside— a priest." Ada said. Tommy's face fell and he began walking for the door, "Stay here, Pol. Don't do anything." Tommy ordered.

Soon enough, Arthur walked in and the first thing he did was get a bottle of whiskey and pour himself a glass. Rory took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes, shooting pains in her head.

"Where's Linda?" Tommy asked when walking back inside. "With Lizzie." Arthur responded calmly. "Where's Finn?" Aurora questioned. "Out with the youngens looking for the Riley." Arthur spoke. "We couldn't reach him."

"Esme's waters broke—" John explained once he arrived.

"I need to know who spoke." Tommy said, hands on the table.

"Our enemies know everything. Everything. I need to know who spoke about business outside of the family. Who they spoke to. Now. I need to know who spoke." Tommy demanded.

"Tommy—" Arthur tried.

"Your wife, Arthur?" Tommy suggested. "I'm gonna tell myself that you're, you're not thinking straight." Arthur mumbled angrily. "Your mind isn't clear." He added.

Aurora stopped listening until her name was brought up. "Or you, Rory? What about you?"

She raised her brows and scoffed. "It insults me that you think i'd do something like that. Do you know me at all?" She asked seriously. Tommy sighed and thought.

"All of a sudden, back in the family, Ada." He continued. "That's a surprise. Out of the blue. On whose orders?" He asked.

"Tommy this is not helping find them." Polly said before Ada could respond.

"And you and your painter? You said he knows you— things developed. You talked." He insulted Polly. "If anyone has talked, about the tunnel to anyone else. I need to know and I need to know this second!" He demanded.

"You're accusing me yet I know nothing about a fucking tunnel!" Rory snapped at him.

"What about your clay kickers?" Drunk in a pub." John hummed. "I trust those men with my life." Tommy hissed. "More than you trust us?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah. As of an hour ago, yes." Tommy confirmed.

"Where's Micheal in this fucking line-up anyway?" John asked. "You leave Micheal out of this." Polly said with raised brows. "Oh yeah?" John asked.

"He should be here." Arthur said.

"You don't even fucking know him— how long have you known him?" John ranted angrily. "Fucking three years!"

"No, he's not going to be your whipping boy." Polly stopped him. Aurora shook her head.
"You don't even fucking know the boy." John threw his arms up in the air. "I never told Micheal about the Lily's of the Valley." Tommy stopped him. "The only people I told about the Faberge Eggs are in this room—" He said. He looked at Rory. "Apart from Aurora."

"Tommy, I want you to know that I came back for love.And common sense." Ada said, a hurt look in her eyes/

"John, Arthur.." Tommy stopped. "I need fifty sticks of BSA Dynamite, three hundred of cable and six detonators by mid day tomorrow. This is evidence, i need you to scatter it, we're blowing up a train. People are gonna die." Tommy ordered, envelope pointing toward them.

John and Arthur soon walked out and Aurora just sat there, head spinning. She gently touched the back of her head which was still bleeding and bit the inside of her cheek. She stood and walked to the kitchen, rooting through the cupboards for the first aid box.

Tommy eyed her carefully. Polly and Ada had already left. "Rory?" He asked.

"It's alright Tom. You can fuck off now— go look for Charles." She sighed, searching for something.

Tommy tutted and walked toward her. He looked at the back of her head and winced. "How've you done that?" He asked her. She winced as he touched it. "When I went out to the kitchen— saw someone with Charlie and when I tried to say something, somebody else had threw me against the wall." She explained.

Tommy took the box from her and got a cloth, turning to get a bottle of gin. He soaked the cloth before pressing it to her wound. She gasped and pulled away.

"This will hurt," he warned.

She scoffed. "Bit late to tell me that."

Tommy shook his head and did it again. She grabbed the counter and hissed in pain. "You stay here— Finn will be back soon before I send him off to do something else. I want you having no part in this. Do you understand?"

"I understand." She said as he removed the cloth and got out a bandage.

He began wrapping it carefully and tied it. "You'll be alright. I'll send one of those friends you have until Finn gets here."

"I don't need a babysitter." She complained. Tommy began walking away. "Yes. You do." He corrected. She huffed and went to sit on the couch, beside the fire. "A babysitter.." she scoffed.

-

Rory, Charlotte, Alfie and Mikey sat whilst they watched Harvey and Isiah try and act something out during a game of charades. Aurora was laughing hysterically as they failed to do so and cupped a hand over her mouth. "Youse look like dying chickens." She exclaimed.

Mikey howled at her comment and Alfie fell backward, laughing. Charlotte had tears streaming down her face from laughing.

"Alright— I ain't doing that no more." Isiah huffed, shaking his head and trying not to smile. Rory continued to laugh. "Oh, Siah! No, go on." She urged.

He shook his head and sat down.

"I'll do it by myself then!" Harvey shrugged and continued.

The door opened and Rory practically jumped up, assuming it was Finn. She walked out into the hall and her face fell at the sight of him. He held his coat in his hand and his head hung low, eyes wide. "Finny?" She asked.

He slowly looked up at her.

"They blew up the train.. I tried to stop them
but— they didn't hear me. I tried.." he whispered. She shook her head. "They called me— said they had found Charlie so John and Arthur didn't need to blow it up but as I got to them— it happened." He explained, guilt in his voice.

She shook her head again, "Finn it isn't your fault." She said truthfully, taking his hand. "Don't look like that— it isn't your fault." She assured.

Finn took a deep breath and just wrapped his arms around her and leaned his forehead on her shoulder. Rory, taken aback, hugged him. "Oh, Finny." She whispered sadly. Finn just held her for a moment, feeling nothing but guilt. "They're all dead— so many people, Rory."

She swallowed hard as she thought of something to say. "People die everyday, Finn. It wasn't you who set the order it was Tommy. It isn't your fault that they got to Charlie too late for you to warn John and Arthur." She said, rubbing his back.

And that was the first time in a while that Rory had seen Finn vulnerable. And it was beautiful. The circumstance was not but the moment they shared — Finn going to her for comfort, not asking for it but receiving it anyway, was beautiful. It was something he could get used to. It told him that being vulnerable was okay.

-

The room of Tommy's office was silent as they all waited patiently for him to speak. The door opened and Aurora walked in sheepishly. "Sorry.." she apologised, her face pale with slight nerves. She felt that this meeting wouldn't bring any of them good news.

Tommy nodded for her to sit and she did so, taking Finn's hand.

"Before i begin.." Tommy cleared his throat, "i want to let you know I made a mistake. I made a mistake. And i want to apologise to all of you." Tommy's words only worried Aurora further. "Arthur, you warned me against getting involved in Russian business. And you were right. I doubted your wife, for that i'm sorry. Linda i've added three thousand here in hopes that you'd forgive me."

Aurora began chewing her bottom lip and Finn squeezed her hand.

Tommy slid a bundle of money their way and Linda just hummed in a smug way. "Apology accepted." She said coldly.

"Esme, i doubted you as well." Tommy tried but she cut him off quickly, "Now John has innocent lives on his conscience, ordinary working men." She said with her arms crossed.

"Yeah alright Esme. Got it." John huffed.

Aurora looked at Finn and he shrugged slightly. Neither of them understood what was going on.

"No, shes right. Now you and Arthur are going to have to share that burden. But i hope the house you can buy with this can become a place of contemplation. Perhaps redemption." Tommy suggested, blinking hard: "Charlie, for lost tools and dangerous goods. And Curly's wise words. Johnny, for lodgings. Lizzie.." He glanced at the dark haired woman who just shook her head and pushed the money back to him.

With a deep breath he continued; "Micheal for the killings. Five for the cutting, five for the shooting." Tommy said.

"No, Tommy." Polly intervened which caused him to snap."What?! tell me, eh? This is who I am! And this is all i can give you for what you've give me. For your hearts and your souls." His loudness made Rory jump slightly.

"Yesterday, i nearly lost my son. You should fucking understand that." He stared at Polly with glossy eyes. "For what? For what, for this? And i know you all want me to say that i'll change and that this business will change but i've learnt something in the last few days. Those batards, those bastards are worse than us. Politicians, fucking judges. Fucking lords and ladies— they're worse than us. And they will never admit us to their palaces no matter how legitimate we become. Because of who we are. Because of who we fucking are and where we're fucking from. Isn't that right Ada?"

She said nothing. She just pursed her lips together.

"Our Ada knows, she got smart about revolution and she knows you have to get what you want your own way." He nodded to himself before looking at Lizzie. "Lizzie, i want it know that the money was for you because some nights, it was you who stopped my heart from breaking. No one else." He explained.

Rory's heart began beating quickly.

"And the rest of you, you took the kings shilling. You took the kings fucking shilling and when you take it, the king expects you to kill. Isn't that right Arthur? That's how it works, right John?"

"That's right." Micheal answered whilst taking the money. "That's right, Pol. That's fucking right." Tommy asked.

"Tommy, you've both had a hard time. We understand. So at an alternative time, when we have all recovered. I'd like to put before the family, an alternative view of the future of the Shelby Company Limited. A more hopeful view." Polly said.

"Which I for one would quite like to hear." Ada agreed.

"As would I." Lizzie added.  

"Come on, Arthur. The train for the dock leaves in an hour.. then we will get the boat to New York and it'll all be in the past." Linda stood.

Arthur hummed and accepted a hug from Polly before patting Johns shoulder. Rory and Finn stood. Arthur didn't hesitate to hug the girl and she held him. "I didn't know you were leaving, Arthur." She said. "Sorry Angel.. my heads like a fucking battlefield." He whispered to her, letting go and hugging Finn.

She swallowed hard and sat back down.

"I'll be off then, Tom." Arthur announced.. "I'll see you, eh? I'll see you, brother." Arthur said.

"You can go, Arthur but you won't get far." Tommy said lowly. Everyone looked at him. "Alright Tom." Arthur tried to laugh it off.

"I spoke to Moss last night.. he told me that the chief constable of Birmingham has issued a warrant for your arrest. Murder, sedition, conspiracy to cause explosion. John, they're coming for you as well. Murder, conspiracy to cause explosion."

Aurora and Finn locked eyes and her lips parted. "Tommy what's going on?" She asked. Finn looked at his older brother.

"Micheal, the murder of Hughes." He said. "Polly, the murder of chief inspector Chester Campbell."

"What the fuck." Arthur said. "Wait a minute what the fuck are you talking—"

"Why didn't you fucking tell us, Tommy?!" John shouted, his voice cracking. Everyone had stood and began stressing. Aurora looked around the room, searching for a face that would offer her comfort but not a single face did. She felt herself freeze up. She hugged her arms around herself.

"The people that betrayed us last night, they want to take us down. Now they control the police, they control the judges they control the jury and the jails. But they do not control the elected government!" Tommy explained.

"Why didn't you tell us before— what have you done?" John bellowed.

"Listen to me. I have made a deal in return for giving evidence against them." Tommy said. "It's all taken care of. Lizzie collect the money and bring it to the cellar— you'll all get your money in due course. When the police get in don't resist you go with them and don't say anything."

Their shouts echoed between Rory's ears and she just stood there. She didn't move. Her eyes burned and she felt unable to breathe.

Her eyes slowly locked with Tommy's and the sight broke his heart. She shook her head. "How could you do this?" She asked, her words coming out as a mere whisper. She felt nauseous.

Finn was gone. He had left the room alongside his siblings as John held his shoulders, telling him everything was going to be alright. Rory felt a hand on her arm as Isiah pulled her away from the office.

He held her upright and the moment she got into the hall, her mind began racing. Realisation dawned upon her that she would lose every single one of them. They'd all be hanged. She felt like she was going to throw up.

"John.." she croaked when he looked at her. "Can you help me.. please can you help me?" She felt herself shut down, tears falling from her eyes. She panicked, her breaths short and quick. John shook his head as he held her arms. "Aurora you'll be fine, listen to me. You and Finn are going to be good— Ada will look after you. Listen to me.." he grabbed her face.

John wiped her tears quickly and it physically felt like his heart was breaking. "Listen to me, Angel. I'll be alright. Don't you worry about me."

"You and Arthur.. you're—" she croaked.

John couldn't bear it any longer. He pulled her into his chest and it was at that moment the door swung open, coppers flooding in. A sob left her mouth as she held onto him. John had caught Finn's attention and prepared for the coppers to take him away.

Finn wrapped his arms around Aurora and took her from John. She placed a hand over her eyes as she heard them all shout angrily whilst being pulled away from the house. She couldn't watch. She wouldn't let the last time she saw their faces be full of horror.

Isiah looked at the girl sadly and Ada walked to her, noticing the sad look in Finn's eyes as he tried his hardest not to cry.

"Alright, come here." Ada took over. Isiah went to Finn to console him and Ada rubbed Rory's back. "It's alright love.." she said, hearing her uneven breathing.

When Aurora finally opened her eyes, she noticed Tommy staring at the open door that his family had just been taken through. She pulled away from Ada and walked toward him slowly. "Look at me."

He couldn't.

"I said look at me you bastard!" She cried out. He did it with hesitance. "How could you do such a thing— they're your family.. your brothers." She said, "and they're all going to die because of you."

"Rory— i've got a plan." He tried.

"Enough with your plans! It just ends up with somebody getting hurt.. more blood on somebodies hands. Enough is enough. When will you realise that? When will you stop hurting us?" She asked.

But she was begging him. Her words were pleading with him.

And even then, in that moment, she couldn't find it within herself to hate him. Whilst part of her wanted to scream and shout at him for what the had done, another part truly believed he would find a way to fix all of this.

She just hoped that he was right. She hoped that he did have a plan.

not proof read.