enchanted
chapter forty-three, family meetings.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Arthur and Linda had showed up once Tommy rang him after Rory's phone call.

Linda stayed with the kids as Arthur and Esme and Rory took the car to the hospital, where John's body was taken. Esme had John's coat wrapped around her body, and even the familiar scent of him brought on more tears as she sat in the front seat of Arthur's car and sobbed her heart out while Rory sat in the back crying.

The girl couldn't believe what had happened it was all too much to process, in the past 24 hours she had gone from laughing at her dad for having two shotguns to sobbing over her dad's body and now sat in Arthur's car on the way to the hospital where John's body was.

She knew the Shelby name was a curse, she knew it entailed terrible and horrific things, she had been on the receiving end for a lot of it and she also knew it was all Tommy's fault once again.

The only thing that John ever wanted was for his kids to be safe, he wanted to give them the best life he possibly could despite the Shelby last name.

The car parked and Arthur turned to Rory who had her eyes closed. "I can't," she whispered. "Can I go see Isaiah?" she asked.

Esme nodded and watched her go before turning to Arthur, "Look after her for me, please. I'm leaving and I'm taking the kids away from this life and she won't come with me."

"I'll look after her," Arthur agreed.

When she got into the morgue she made Tommy swear to protect her daughters from the Italians despite the girls hatred towards him.

After cursing Tommy and saying goodbye to John's body she ventured to Lilian's apartment knocking on her door.

"Who is it?" Lilian asked from inside.

"Esme," the woman replied and Lilian opened the door.

"I won't stay long but I'm just going to say, I'm leaving and Rory needs a parent. A mum so I need you to stay with her and protect her and be her mum again," Esme told her.

Lilian stared at her, "Why are you leaving? What's happened?"

"Rory will tell you when she comes to visit you later but don't mention I was here and please help her mend her relationship with Tommy. She needs someone and I can't stay here anymore, I can't put my kid's lives in danger any longer and I want Rory to come with us but she won't and that's her choice," Esme begged the woman. "I'm giving you the chance to be her mum again, Lilian. Please don't let me or her down, she's wanted you to come back for years whether she admits it now or not it's all she's ever wanted."

Lilian nodded, "I'll look after her."

"Thank you," Esme replied and walked away leaving Lilian confused.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Rory, still in her pyjama's, knocked on the door. Isaiah opened the door rubbing his eyes. "Bit early for you isn't it?" he asked, smiling at her.

His smile dropped when he saw her face and stepped outside cupping her cheeks. "What happened?" he asked concerned.

"My dad, he's- he's dead," she replied, her heart breaking as she said the word. Isaiah stared at her in shock. "And I watched it happen and Michael got shot," she told him.

They walked inside and went upstairs to Isaiah's bedroom where they laid, in silence. Rory had fallen back asleep in Isaiah's arms as he held her as if she was going to break, which she was.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Once she had woken up again she thought it was all a nightmare but she remembered where she was and realised it was a reality. Her dad was dead, her mum had left her and taken her siblings and Eve was with Finn, Freya and Lottie.

"Tommy rang, there's a family meeting," Isaiah told her as he noticed she was awake.

"I'm not going, I don't want to see him," she grumbled.

"I know you don't but let's just go and see what he has to say, we don't have to stay," he tried negotiating with her.

She stared at the ceiling. "Fine," she huffed. "But I need to go back to my old house and get changed I left some clothes there," she told him getting up. When she reached him, the boy had eloped her into a hug and swayed them side to side.

"Esme left, she took Katie and everyone," she whispered. "I'm all alone again," she laughed dryly.

"You're not alone, you've got me, Eve, Finn, Frey, Lottie, Arthur-" he began listing of the people.

"But not the two people I need," she cut him off.

He sighed. "I love you and I'm not leaving or dying and I know your dad said that but I'm not your dad or Esme okay? I'm Isaiah, the boy who has been in love with you ever since you tripped me up first time I met you. It's me and you now and we'll make our own family together," he told her and she smiled slightly.

"I love you too," she replied standing in her tip toes to kiss his lips.

"Let's go get you changed," he said and they walked to her old house.

Unlocking the door made her laugh. "He never locked the door you know? First time it ever got locked was I got attacked by Sabini and you and Finn locked it," she told him and they made their way up her old bedroom and she grabbed her clothes and made her way into the bathroom to brush her teeth again and get changed.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Rory was at the betting shop, sitting at the table in front of Isaiah and Jeremiah, waiting for Tommy.

"John is dead," Tommy stated and Rory's eyes fell on the man as she swallowed, any emotion that tried forcing it way up to her throat was not allowed. Freya flinched and grabbed a hold of the girl's hand under the table, neither of them daring to look at the other or Eve or Lottie.

"Don't. Don't you dare stand there as if this isn't your fault. I actually can't believe you sometimes Thomas it's genuinely as if you're the thick one and not Finn. What were you thinking fucking with the mafia in the first place? Did you think you'd get off scott free? Yes. Yes, you did because you're Thomas Shelby and Thomas makes his own rules and follows them and we're just pawns in your little game of chess. Well guess what Tom... fuck you. Fuck you and your little game of chess. Fuck you and the Shelby last name. I have no family because of you and I hate you," she shouted standing up walking over to him and slapping his chest.

"I'm never going to forgive you for this, you know. Never. I want out of the Shelby name, Tom. I'm done, I'm so fucking close to leaving," she told him tears streaming down her face as he had grabbed onto her pulling into a hug which she had no energy left to fight.

"I know, I know and I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry, Sunshine." He used the term she hadn't been called in years and tried to console his niece, knowing it wouldn't help, knowing there was a chance she would still leave with Esme and leave the family for good and he wouldn't blame her or even try to stop her because he knew, they all knew, deep down she'd be safer with the Lee's on the road.

She looked up at him, the one who swore to protect her, and she felt nothing but pure hatred and betrayal towards him and it hurt her knowing their bond would never be the same or even exist anymore but nothing hurt her more than her dad's death which replayed in her mind every time she closed her eyes. "You promised me, you swore to me that no one would die, you promised me nothing bad would happen. You fucking promised! And now my dad is dead because of you. He's not coming back and that's all your fault!" she shouted at him. "I used to pity you. Thomas Shelby, the man who almost had everything then I opened my eyes and saw what you really are, you're the fucking devil, the Angel of Death. Get it? Because everyone around you dies, your wife, your brother and I refuse to be the next victim." The malicious tone in her voice made no one make a move to scold her for swearing because they knew there was no way anyone could do anything to help rekindle their bond.

It was almost as if she could see her dad's face and how disappointed he would be with her last statement but she meant it. She could hear his voice say, "I don't expect you to forgive him, Rory but please for my sake be civil with him." but she couldn't bring herself to do it, she hated him and that wasn't going to change no matter how disappointed her dad would be and for a split second it didn't matter how he would feel because he was dead so his opinion and disappointment meant nothing and was nothing but a figment of her imagination.

Maybe she had taken it too far with the last statement but she didn't care, all she cared about was going to Lilian's in the hopes she still lived there.