Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

100.

So sorry for the wait, I know I really left ye hanging last night but I needed this to be perfect (as close to it as I could manage anyway!)

The sequence of events that came next, Ailbhe wasn’t clear on. She had almost made peace with it, drowned it all out and was ready for whatever came next, even if it was nothing just like Liam swore it was.

She wasn’t sure what happened first but the bullet never came, her life wasn’t taken from her, her head wasn’t cracked open and her memories and fears weren’t painted across the wall like a twisted mural.

All hell had broken loose, with Tommy and Mosley getting off stage and the riot getting worse among the crowds. Niall, Arthur and Finn found her, having checked every door along the corridor and searching backstage like madmen when they fought off their own attackers and realised that she was missing. They had no idea who had come for them, but they were lying dead backstage now, along with Aberama who had stopped breathing too.
 
When Ailbhe opened her eyes, the men who had a gun to her head moments previously lay on the floor, one with a bullet lodged in the back of his head, the other blinded and killed by a bullet in his chest. She couldn’t hear anything, seeing Niall’s lips moving and knowing there was noise, knowing there was shouting and chaos, but she couldn’t hear anything.
 
Finn’s hands were covered in blood when he went straight to her, leaving the man on the floor to take his last breath. He grabbed her by the face, her perfect face that he had thought he’d never be seeing again and made her look at him.
 
“Hey, you’re alright, you’re fine. We’ve got you” He promised her, looking into her wide and shocked eyes as she started to realise, she wasn’t about to die, finally hearing it all coming rushing into her ears.
 
She was panting, her breaths shaky and her hands shaking as Niall cut the rope from them and Finn pulled her to her unsteady feet. The voices were fading in her ears, hearing her mother’s and Seán’s voices fading into whispers until she couldn’t hear them over Finn’s voice.
 
“What happened?”
 
She finally found her words as she looked between them, Finn’s hands still holding her head and examining her. But she was alright. She had a gash on her cheek, a split lip from where he had hit her but she was alright. She was still breathing.
 
“I don’t fucking know, we don’t fucking know. They knew, someone knew” Niall blurted, pacing back and forth trying to make sense of it.
 
They were dead, both men on the floor. Niall had put a bullet in one of their heads, Finn had put a bullet in the other’s chest and taken his eyes for good measure. Finn’s hands were stained in blood, marking Ailbhe’s neck and face as he grabbed her and made sure she was alright, but she didn’t care. His eyes were lit in temper that anyone had put their hands on her, let alone leaving a mark like these men had.

He really had thought they'd be too late. He was sure he wouldn't find her alive. He was sure his luck had run out and the luck he had to have her in his life was gone. His family didn't get to keep happiness for long, he knew that. But he thought they could be different. He had hoped so.
 
“They were IRA, sent to kill me. Maggie Brennan was arrested and hanged, they thought it was me who gave her up to the police… someone knew”
 
She blurted, trying to explain it all as best she could but her mind was reeling with the events of the last few minutes.
 
Arthur and Niall looked between each other. IRA had come for Ailbhe, that was threat enough. But there was a rat. Someone had told the IRA that Ailbhe was to blame for Maggie’s death, someone had also told where Barney would be, where Aberama and Arthur would be and how best to deal with them. Whoever it was clearly knew a lot about their family, a lot that the family thought was private. It was a mess. And they had no idea how much else this rat knew. Did they know where Liam and Charlie were right now? Did they know where Ada and Karl lived? Did they know it was all Tommy’s plan?
 
Footsteps in the corridor put them all on high alert, swinging around and pointing guns but it was only Johnny Dogs who threw open the door. He took one look at the scene, two dead bodies, Finn with hands marked in blood, Ailbhe with a split lip and marks around her neck where someone had grabbed her.
 
“The coppers are here, lads we have to get away from the bodies!”
 
He snapped, knowing he’d have to be brought up to speed later but all he knew was, Arthur had left two dead bodies backstage and Aberama was dead, Tommy’s plan had failed, and Barney was likely dead too. They also now had two more dead bodies on the ground beside them, guns in hand that had been up against Ailbhe's temple just a few moments ago.
 
“Jesus Christ” Niall swore, grabbing Arthur and pulling him, as well as Finn and Ailbhe back towards the door.
 
He bundled them along the corridor, into the dressing room Tommy had been given and slamming the door shut behind them where Tommy was already pacing back and forth, gun raised as soon as they entered.
 
“It’s us Tommy!” Arthur shouted, hands raised so Tommy saw who was right in front of him and dropped his weapon.
 
“What the fuck happened?” Ailbhe found herself shouting before she even knew she still had a voice.
 
Nothing had gone to plan. Mosley and McCavern were still breathing. Aberama and Barney weren’t. Fuck knows about Liam, Charlie and Curly.
 
“I don’t know what fucking happened, I don’t know!” Tommy gasped, pacing back and forth before his eyes caught on Finn’s hands that had blood on them, on Ailbhe’s marked face.
 
“Aberama’s dead, they came for me too.” Arthur blurted, his hands still raised in surrender wanting Tommy to explain it to him, wanting Tommy to explain that this was all part of the plan too.
 
But it wasn’t. It had gone horribly, horribly wrong.
 
Tommy’s wide eyes moved to Ailbhe, whose cheek was bleeding and whose eyes were wide and panicked too.
 
“What the fuck happened?” Tommy shouted, fury in his eyes at the thought of anyone putting hands on his sister, on any of his family.
 
“IRA came for Ailbhe. Maggie Brennan was arrested and hanged; they think it’s Ailbhe who gave her up”
 
Finn explained, his head barely able to comprehend what would have happened if they had been a minute later. She’d be dead. They would have found her body, just like they’d found Aberama’s and been able to do nothing about it. The mere thought of it filled him with dread and a nausea. He had no interest in a life without her now. She was right, they had become addicted to eachother and he knew he couldn't quit now. He wasn't sure he'd make it if he had to go on without her.
 
He could feel her hand, her fingers gripping the back of his jacket and feeling her cling on like he was her last grip on reality.
 
Niall suddenly realised it wasn’t just family in the room, as Jessie Eden moved from where she stood in the corner.
 
“What the fuck is she doing here?” Niall shouted, not even recognising her but knowing she wasn’t family and therefore, she shouldn’t be there.
 
“They got to Barney… they got to Aberama… they knew everything Tom”
 
Ailbhe gasped, her grip slackening on Finn and she stepped forward, starting to feel her body’s adrenaline and the line of snow she had done with Arthur in the car coursing through her system.
 
“Who? Who else fucking knew?” Tommy asked, knowing nobody knew that answer but he had to say it out loud. He had to walk himself through it. It didn’t make sense, none of it did.
 
“Mickey knew but we killed him. Michael didn’t know, McCavern didn’t know… It was just family, we were the only ones who knew”
 
Ailbhe voiced, her hands running up through her hair and her feet starting to pace the room. The shock was wearing off and the adrenaline was hitting her like a train at full speed.
 
“Who’s Mickey? Who did you kill?” Jessie Eden asked, her eyes darting between Tommy and Ailbhe as she started to see how alike they were.
 
“Get her out of here” Ailbhe shouted, putting a hand up in front of her face and needing there to be silence.
 
She couldn’t think with Jessie Eden asking her questions. She couldn’t think without silence.
 
“Johnny, get her out!” Tommy roared as Jessie protested but he needed her gone.
 
Johnny bundled her out of the room, leaving Tommy with his family and leaving Ailbhe with a thousand questions.
 
“Who? Who… who?” Tommy whispered, in gasps and pants as he paced the room.
 
Ailbhe had her head in her hands, looking down at the floor and her mind scrambling for an answer that made sense and finding none.
 
“The Chinese... The Italians...Titanics...” Ailbhe voiced, not really asking anyone but her brain spewing out possibilities like a machine but none of them added up.
 
“Branch… Intelligence… McCavern… Mosley” Tommy listed, pacing back and forth in front of them, knowing he was scaring his brothers, but he didn’t care.
 
He needed an answer, he needed to know what had happened and why.
 
“Mosley knew nothing…” Ailbhe whispered, so quiet only Finn heard it before Tommy screamed it himself.
 
“Mosley knew fucking nothing!” Tommy roared, into Arthur’s face, knowing that Mosley had known not a single thing about their plot.
 
Tommy kicked the table over, screaming out in frustration and throwing himself into the seat beside it, leaning down on his knees staring at the floor.
 
“You’re fucking frightening me, Tom” Arthur cried, never having seen Tommy like this before.
 
“You’ve gotta know, Tom!” He voiced.
 
If Tommy didn’t know, Arthur wouldn’t know what to think.
 
But Niall leaned in, down to his sister’s level and seeing how her eyes were frozen but her mind was racing. He had felt physically sick when he realised Ailbhe was missing, even more so when he saw those men ready to take her away from them. He had promised to protect her and keep her safe while Liam was with Charlie. He had let her down. He had asked Tommy not to let her go to Ringley Hall, to tell her to stay at home and wait for them but Tommy had denied his request. It was Ailbhe’s choice and she had chosen to be there.
 
“Alv, look at me” he whispered, taking her face in his hands and bringing her eyes to his.
 
He could see the bruise starting to darken on her cheek and the blood drying on her lip. But she wasn't crying or wincing. Her eyes looked frantic and as though he could practically see the cogs turning behind her eyes trying to figure out what the fuck had gone wrong in the plan Tommy and her had agreed was flawless.
 
“You’ve gotta know, Alv. You have to know.” He reminded her, having faith. If she didn’t know, there was no hope. She had to know.

She might have been his little sister, he might have always considered it his role to protect her, to be what their father and mother couldn't for her. She was his responsibility and he took this role more seriously than any other in his life. But he was under no illusions that she had gone beyond him in so many realms but he was meant to be there for her. She had to know what had gone wrong. She had to know who the leak was. She was what he had faith in above all else.
 
Finn looked across at Ailbhe, she was the cleverest person he’d ever met. She had to know. Their plan was meant to work, it was meant to go smoothly. But neither of them had an answer. Finn watched Tommy and Ailbhe look at each other, not an answer between them as their minds reeled and spun, having no answers.
 
 But Finn’s head was reeling too, trying not to focus on how he had just killed a man with so much ease it made him question himself. It had been so easy. He had seen the man with a gun pointed at Ailbhe, her face marked from his hands and Finn had found it so simple to blind the man and put a bullet in his chest. He deserved a longer death for what he had done but he had to do it quickly.
 
It made him sick to think of anyone putting their hands on her, especially if those hands had harm intended towards her. She was his and she didn’t want any man to ever lay a hand on her again unless it was Finn’s. He looked at her, how she had just had a gun to her head and yet there she was worrying about everyone else and how she hadn’t even winced when she saw the men die. Everything was a mess, everything had gone to shit.
 
Her eyes widened suddenly, snapping her head up and looking at Tommy who looked right back at her.
 
“Tom! Liam and Charlie” She exclaimed, knowing that whoever had known their plans at Ringley Hall, were likely to know about Liam and Charlie too.
 
If they were caught moving that much opium, they would both hang. Maybe even Curly too. Ailbhe and Finn were to meet Charlie and Liam in the early hours of the following morning. There was nothing they could do now but wait for them, wait and worry. Ailbhe felt sick to her stomach but there was nothing they could do now. Liam and Charlie were already on the move, the plan was in motion and they couldn’t stop it now.

But it certainly added to the pit in her stomach, the sick feeling of worry that now joined the mash up of relief Niall, Arthur, Finn and Tommy were still alive but the pain and shock that Aberama and Barney were almost certainly both dead.
 
“Who?” Tommy whispered, looking up at his brothers and then to his sister whose green eyes were wide in fear and utter loss of words. He couldn’t even bear thinking about what would have happened if she had been killed. He couldn’t think about that right now, not when he had to stay calm.
 
He needed her to know who had told. He needed her to look up at him, promise him that she was fine and to tell him that she had it figured out.
 
She put her head down in her hands, her fingers raking up through her hair and feeling Finn’s hand on her back. He felt like if he let her out of his reach, she'd vanish. He had come too close to losing her again.

She looked back up at Tommy, knowing her answer was the one answer he and everyone else didn’t want to hear, not from the one girl they had hoped would have an answer for them.
 
“I don’t know, Tom”

I'm really gutted to tell ye that this is the final chapter! (For now!). I am really sorry that I left ye hanging, thinking that Ailbhe was about to die! It would be dramatic but she's my baby I couldn't!! Thank you for reading and voting and commenting. I've absolutely adored every minute of writing this story and I'm gonna miss Ailbhe and Finn so much <3 But I've already started going through the story, editing and correcting so I might even be able to add in some scenes or extras, who knows? Cannot wait for the next season and we can pick up where we left off.  Lots of love, M xx