by order of the fucking peaky blinders

31

"You're being discharged, you can come home" Isaiah smiles pecking her lips as he sat by her hospital bed. "Finally, I hate this place. Smells like death." Charlie groans, "thought it smelt like pancakes." Diego says. "It did, not anymore. Just smells like dead people." Charlie shivers. "Then let's get you outta here." Finn says, helping her stand up, "I can walk" she groans, "shush and accept help little girl" Ada says.

-

"Tomorrow, you are going over to Tommy's. Ada called said he's requested a family meeting," Isaiah says to Charlie, as she walks down the stairs. He'd forced her to stay in bed for the first month after her injury, and since then he'd been waiting on her despite her constant arguments. "Ziah- I'm fine. Stop worrying." She tells him noticing he'd made breakfast. "What? I'm not worrying." Isaiah replies and she gives him a look, "okay, maybe a little, I just- I thought I'd lost you, and it was fucking scary." Isaiah says as she wraps her arms round his torso. "It takes a lot more than a bullet to kill me." Charlie tells him leaning up to press their lips together.

-

"Good morning" Charlie greets her sister as she arrives at her brothers house. "How you feeling?" Ada asks noticing she was walking with a slight limp. "Yeah i'm fine" Charlie tells her noticing two of her brothers sat on the sofas. "There she is, finally" John says rolling his eyes, "I'm here before Polly and Michael, aren't i?" Charlotte retorts, "no, we are here" Polly says from the doorway, "right, we can go in now" Arthur says standing up, "he's already seen us" Michael replies, "um, he asked to see you separately, Arthur and John in you go, we got a timetable" Ada says, "I can normally read him, but he's difficult to read, so be careful" Polly tells her nephews. "I thought it was a fucking family meeting, all of us together, i thought. Not you 2, then us 2, then Charlie" John says, "John he's grieving it'd be too much to see us all at once" Polly tells him. 

"Yeah, well. Come on John." Arthur mumbles standing and making his way to Tommys study. 

-

"Alright, Charlie. You're up, good fucking luck" John tells her walking out of the study, "Charlie, we need him back, Sabini and Solomons have already sent condolences and flowers, won't be long before they come trotting up the A1 like wolves" Polly says to her, as she makes her way over, giving a small nod as she closes the door. 

"Tom" Charlie says taking the seat opposite desk as he hands her an envelope. "Thats all" Tommy says practically ignoring her presence. "Thomas, look at me" Charlie says, seeing his hands clench round the side of his desk. "I won't do this stuff unless you look at me" Charlotte tells him placing the envelope in his eyeline. "Just take the letter and get out" Tommy speaks, "alright, we are doing this" Charlie says standing up, walking round his desk. "Tommy, why won't you look at me?" Charlie asks sadly crouching next to his chair, "fucking stop ignoring me" Charlie says turning him to face her. "You're testing my fucking patience Thomas" Charlie tells him, looking into his eyes. "Alright, thats enough of your shit" she says standing up lifting him up by his collar, much to his surprise as his eyes go wide. "I don't know what your fucking problem is, but sort yourself out for fucks sake. I know your grieving, and i feel for you Tom, i do. I won't know what you're feeling, i won't pretend that i do. But look at you" Charlie says, "you're weak, you've gone soft and weak" she tells him, pushing him against the wall to punctuate her point. "You're acting like a little child who got his favourite toy taken away"

"Get the fuck off me" Tommy says through gritted teeth, "or what? You gonna hit me Tom, shoot me?"Charlie asks, "no, you don't have it in you. You're soft. Letting your baby sister shove you against a wall, pushing you about in your own house" Charlie jibes loudly. She knew exactly what she was doing, she needed to push him, Tommy only responds to challenges, she needed him angry, mad, she needed something, and pushing him was the only way to do that. Winding him up and fucking with his head. "You want me to say its all your fault?" Charlie says thumping his head, "shut up" he glares, "why? it is isn't it?" Charlie speaks, "isn't it? You're the reason i got shot, the reason she's dead" Charlie shouts at him. "Its your fault, that what you want to hear?'

"Its not my fucking fault! I didn't shoot the fucking gun!" Tommy yells at her breathing out, watching a smirk come onto her face. "Fuck you" he says pushing her away. "Now we have that sorted out, you're going to get your shit together. Got Sabini and Solomons breathing down our fucking necks, we need you Tom. So get your fucking shit together before they tread on you like a piece of dirt" Charlotte replies picking up the envelope and walking out, finding the rest of her family sat in the kitchen.

"Fucking pheasant" she hears Karl say making her laugh as she walks into the kitchen, "now look what you've done" Polly says.

"Look around you. Look at this house. Look how far we've come. I think its about time we start acting a bit more appropriate to our station. We're none of us bin men anymore Arthur. Tommy needs us all together, I'd like to propose a toast. Its family united that shall never be defeated" Polly says handing Charlie a drink, taking a sip just as Finn runs into the room. 

"Tommys gone, swear to god he's just got in a wagon with Johnny Dogs." Finn tells them, "shit" Arthur swears as he, John and Michael run out to the front, followed by Ada, Polly and Finn. With Charlie walking slowly behind.

"What the fuck did you say to him? Where's he going?" Polly questions her niece who was stood casually against the door, "language in front of Karl" Charlie replies. "Wheres he gone? What did you say to him?" Ada questions, "i said what needed to be said" Charlie shrugs, "and what needed to be said?" Polly asks, "the opposite of what everyone was telling him, i said it was his fault until he realised its not, pushed him a little bit instead of babying him like we'd been doing for months" Charlotte shrugs, "you told him what?" Polly exclaims, "i said it was his fault, repeated it a couple times, shoved him about, thumped his head, called him soft and weak, until he finally cracked, the only thing stopping him was guilt, reverse psychology actually works, who would've thought eh" Charlie smirks, "what if it didn't work?" Ada questions, "it did" Charlie replies walking back into the house.