Aristocrats and criminals have a lot in common. They're both selfish, get bored easily, and have access to wads of cash they didn't have to work honestly to get.
Arthur Shelby x Fem Oc!,, Season 3
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Peggy Shelby was biting at the veins inside her mouth as her parents were chatting between themselves, their voices irritated. "Peggy what've I told you? Stop biting your veins you'll bleed again and that's not a good thing." Beatrice scolded her. "Trix, let her alright." Arthur sighed, John had died not even four hours ago. "Just take Peggy and the baby's to the house I can't deal with your shit today." Arthur spat irritatedly "My shit." Beatrice scoffed "Stop it." Peggy yelled to her parents.
"I'm sorry Pegs." Beatrice said, pulling a strand of her daughters hair behind her ear.
As soon as the family, including Helen arrived back home at Small Heath Arthur went off on his own for a while before returning once all the children were asleep, they were then sat around a table. Finn, Ada, Lizzie and Johnny Dogs on one side, Polly, Charlie, Arthur and Beatrice on the other, Isiah and Jeremiah were stood in the middle, all of them dressed in black.
"John is Dead." Tommy announced breaking the silence the room had held for what felt like eons but had only really been ten minutes or so.
Beatrice let a gasp of air into her lungs "Esme's gone on the road with the Lee's. She's taken the kids. Micheal is badly wounded, they say it's 60/40 in his favour." Tommy continued.
"There's no no number, there's no percentages. So the hand, the hand beneath him stops him falling, I spoke to someone, my son will live." Polly rambled
"Micheal and John were shot because we killed someone, Vincente Changretta. His son Luca has come to take revenge. Men from New York and Sicily here in Birmingham. These men will not leave our city until our whole family is dead. That's how it works, an eye for an eye. It's called Vendetta." Tommy announced
"Yeah, well. The bullets been written. It says Luca, when the time comes, and it will come. Me as the oldest brother will put this bullet into his fucking head." Arthur said before placing the bullet onto the table.
"There's been some bad blood between us." Tommy said which made Polly scoff and let out a dry chuckle. "Polly please." Arthur sighed.
"Until this business is over, we stay together, we stay here, Small Heath, Bordseley, Hay mills down to Greet. We know every face every man is a solider in this army and these men are professionals, they're good at what they do so we need more than we have. I sent a message to Aberama Gold." Tommy announced
"No. no, Tom." Johnny Doggs objected "I'll get you fifty Lee boys. Good men, Tom." Johnny began "I don't need good men Johnny, for this. I need bad men." Tommy cut him off "Tommy his people are fucking heathens Tom, they come and steal our houses. You know stealing from their own Tom."
"So this is the plan Thomas? This is the plan? Bullet with a name on it? Help from a bunch of heathens?" Polly asked "We're going to go on the offensive, I've spoken to Moss, he's putting out word, eyes and ears so we can find him." Tommy rambled on for a few minutes.
"Take a Vote." Tommy announced. Everyone but Polly spoke, and voted Peace. "My son's not here to speak so I'll speak on part of us both, Truce." Polly announced "Six for peace, two for truce, one abstention. Let's win this war." Tommy sighed.
Beatrice was sat in a bedroom with Peggy as the baby's slept in a crib. Polly walked in. "She's grown up a lot." The woman noted "If you're expecting her to run into your arms and speak to you as if she knows you Polly call you Nanna, she won't. We tried so many times but you wouldn't even speak to Katie who's done fuck all wrong." Beatrice told the woman, not even bothering to turn to look at her. "My son." Polly began "Is in a hospital bed fighting for his life, because Thomas got him there, as much as we've had our differences, he's done and is doing what he can to protect his family." Beatrice said turning this time towards her. "He's poisoned you." Polly spat. "Alright, Pol." The brunette nodded, her voice showing just how little she agreed with the elder woman.
The family were stood in a field, one open as they stocked large sticks of wood against a carriage. "We're like sitting ducks here if the wops come." Finn sighed to Charlie and Beatrice who were either side of him. "Well Tommy said we should do it out in the open." Charlie said "They're not thick enough to come here now Finn." Beatrice told him reassuringly, her arm on his shoulder brought him a maternal comfort.
"This is how John wanted to go, on the smoke and the truth is we died together once before. Arthur, me, Danny Whizbang, Freddie Thorn, Jeremiah, and John. We were cut off from the retreat, no bullets left, waiting for the Prussian cavalry to come and finish us off. And while we waited, Jeremiah said we should sing 'In the Bleak Midwinter' But we were spared the enemy never came and we all agreed. That everything after that was extra and when our time came we'd all remember ." Tommy explained
"You remember that God spared you. But what did you do with that extra time he gave you, eh, Thomas?" Polly asked.
Arthur lit the pile of wood around the carriage aflame before returning to his wife's side, placing his arm around her and leaning his head on to hers.
A large gunshot was heard, and Arthur immediately threw his wife to the floor, and then put himself over her, trying to save her if billets were to come flying their way.
"At ease. At ease. Do not return fire. I repeat do not return fire, stand down." Tommy screamed "The men doing the firing are on our side" Tommy reassured them. "I took the trouble of giving an invitation to Aberama Gold." Tommy added.
"Oh fuck! Now it's begun." Johnny Doggs announced.
Finn rushed off on Tommys orders as Tommys and Polly argued. "I want to go back to the babies and Peggy alright." Beatrice told Arthur. "I'm coming with you, I can't bear it here much longer." Ada said grabbing her sister in laws arm and beginning to walk off with her.
