Beth had been sat in bed, early in the morning, sipping on a warm cup of tea as Tommy peered over the town of Small Heath from their bedroom window. Standing up, she basked in the unusual silence from their lives that swallowed them and wrapped her arms around his waist, her head rest against his shoulder as her eyes fell closed. Tommy's fingers danced over hers, his own eyes closing for a moment as he enjoyed the quiet moment between them that hadn't been shared fighting or crying.
The night before, Tommy had watched her fall asleep in the depts of the night and had vouched to stay awake to protect her, his eyes scanning her face as he thought of a million different reasons of why and how he loved her more than anything in his life. Charles slept in the bed in the next room and Tommy realised how content he truly felt with his life as his anger only boiled at the thoughts of Luca Changretta inching close to the woman he loved more than anything. Although he could never word it, he felt it.
That was until the silence of the morning was broken, a gunshot echoing through the streets of Watery Lane. Tommy's head shot up, taking off in a run down the stairs of their home. Beth following close on his tail as they ran onto the streets to where Finn stood. "Finn?" Tommy called. "Came from Arthur's house." Finn pointed, watching as Tommy began to bang on the door. "Arthur!" Tommy yelled, glancing back at Beth. "Arthur!" He repeated. The door opened, Linda stood in her dressing gown with a scowl. "Where is he?" Tommy demanded, pushing past her with Beth and Finn following.
"Arthur?" Tommy called, walking into the back yard where Arthur stood in his night garments, a gun in his hand. "He fired the bullet." Linda spoke. "Linda says it's the modern way, Tom. It's the modern way." Arthur stuttered. Beth glared at the woman beside her, pulling her cardigan closer toward her body. "Yeah it's alright. It's alright brother." Tommy whispered, patting Arthur onto the back as he began to sob. "You did well." Tommy spoke, walking past Linda into the house, rubbing Beth's arm as he passed. "God spoke to him not me." Linda grinned.
"Would you like some tea Linda?" Beth offered, walking into the hall. "No, not from you anyways." Linda grumbled. "Good. I was planning to spit in it." Beth smiled throwing her the finger, before following after Tommy.
•
Beth strolled into Tommy's office, a frown on her face as she tossed her coat onto the chair opposite of him. "What's got you upset love?" Tommy spoke, glancing up at her. "Sending Finn to the shop was a big mistake." Beth grumbled, making her way over to sit onto Tommy's lap. "And why's that?" He asked, focusing his attention onto her. "They've already found out he's a virgin. Set up a girl for him this afternoon." Beth huffed, shaking her head. "He's still a baby to me, y'know? It seems so stupid to be mad over something like this but I just want his first time to be with someone he thinks he loves when he looks back at it. Not some hooker."
Tommy furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head. "Does Finn know they have it planned?" Beth only shook her head. "Do they have a girl?" Tommy pressed. "A girl Lizzie used to work with." Tapping Beth's waist, she stood allowing Tommy to stand as well. "Come on love." He sighed, taking her hand. "Where are we going?" Beth wondered, following after him. "Somewhere we haven't been in a while."
•
Grinning, Beth shook her head as she stared out at the foggy river. "I haven't been here since the times we used to sneak out to each other." She whispered, memories flooding back as she stared at corners and cracks where memories lay of a younger and happier man and woman. "I haven't been here since before war." Tommy spoke quietly, grasping her hand. "I used to wait here for hours, waiting for you to sneak past your mother and father and Calvin to sneak down here and only to have me bloody falling for you."
"I'd wait for hours in the cold, sometimes you couldn't come and I'd still just sit here. I wouldn't be sad or mad you couldn't come because I understand it and most of the time I'd sit here with a goofy smile on my face knowing that I stole Thomas Shelby's first kiss and that nobody knew." Beth murmured, a smile covering her face like her inner child as she glanced over to Tommy who grinned. "I'm so in love with you, since the time we bloody met." Tommy murmured, tilting his head to look down at her. Beth's cheeks flushed a shade of red, a small smile tracing over her lips.
"You've ruined my life." She grinned, rolling her eyes as she leaned into Tommy's side. "You've ruined mine too. If only you knew the affects you have on me." He grumbled, taking off his peaky hat. Moving from under Tommy's arm, Beth sat onto one of the hail bales under the aqueduct bridge, leaning her back against the wall as she hummed in satisfaction. "We're getting old Thomas Shelby. Not children pining over one another and writing love letters and having first kisses." Running her hand through her blonde hair, she grinned at Tommy who walked over to stand between her legs.
"I love you." She murmured, her hands coming up to run through his dark hair. Tommy sighed in content, grasping her face between his tired hands. "And I love you." He repeated, leaning down to place a delicate kiss against her lips. Leaning back his forehead rest against hers, Beth leaned back in, their lips meeting once again in a rather more harsh kiss, Tommy's hands coming to pry the jacket off her shoulders, her hands making their way to pull the jacket off his.
"Let me show you how much I love you."
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LONELY| Thomas Shelby
Fanfiction"when they're good they're really good, when they're bad they will burn the town to the ground." in which beth returns to the gangster life that she once lived, where everything is the same yet everything has changed. BOOK TWO OF VULNERABLE SERIES S...
