Little Roe (Peaky Blinders)

Breathing

(Roe's P.O.V.)
Alfie walked with me in his arms through his backery. "Daddy says you make bread. But this doesn't smell like bread" I told him after smelling the scent that was in the backery, "it doesn't?" He asked me suprised. I shook my head at him. "Well, isn't that strange. Because we bake all sort of bread. The brown and the white" he explained, "well where is it?" I asked while looking around. He stayed silent before quickly saying "Its already been sold to the bakers". I hummed not really believing him. There weren't any wooden fire ovens around so how would they make the bread. Alfie put me down and walked over to his desk. I followed adter him to see what he was searching for. "Ah, here" he said pulling something out, "you want one?". "Are they kosher?" I asked about the sweets that where in the can. He chuckled but nodded at me. He handed me the small can and I gladly took a couple of sweets. After popping the sweets in my mouth I turned around to wander around his office. I stopped right in front of this hand-made wooden ship. I put my hands on the cabinet and pulled myself on my tiptoes to take a closer look at the ship. It stood 28cm (around 11 inch). The ship had six large sails that where hanging from the three masts. And was painted in the colours, red, yellow, dark green and dark brown. "Do you like it?" Alfie asked me, I quickly turned to look at him and nodded telling him I like it. "It's a model of De Amsterdam" he told me, "an old friend of mine built it". He walked up to me and stopped beside me. "Cleverly made" I told him and turned back to look at the ship, "it was made by, uhm, your father" he said and gave me a soft smile, "daddy made it?". He shook his head before pointing to a golden nameplate that was screwed into the wooden stand.

De Amsterdam
Crafted by: Steve Eden

I turned to Alfie. "Papa made it" I said excited to which he nodded. Alfie knew papa from childhood up untill young adult. But papa moved in 1899 when he fell in love with my mother. And never saw Alfie again. "De Amsterdam was his favorite ship. He made it before the war and sent it to me" he explained. I smiled knowing that there was another memorabilia of my papa. Suddenly the door opened and in walked daddy. I froze when I saw him. Daddy looked between me and Alfie. "Roe get here" he told me and pointed to the ground beside him. I shook my head and stepped behind Alfie's leg, hiding away from him. He let out a frustrated breath before stepping forward to me. He tried grabbing me by reaching past Alfie but didn't succeed. Alfie had side stepped and blocking him. "Alfie, let me get to my child" he snarled.

(

Alfie's P.O.V.)
"I don't think so" I told him while continuing to prevent him from getting to little Roelynn. "You've crossed a line, Alfie" he told me with a threatening tone, "you fucking what?" I asked him in disbelief.  "You've crossed the line" he told me again, "the line-?", "you're using my kid!" He yelled at me. I brushed my tongue over my teeth before answering him "I may be damned, Tommy. But I'm not to damned to use a child for my personal gain!". "Then why is she here, huh?" He snarled still pointing the gun in my face. "What did you want me to do? Leave her on the streets in the cold and with a bastard that wanted to take her to god knows where to do god knows what" I growled back at him, "you should've informed me that you had her". "I don't have any obligations to do so" I told him, "I may not have a child but I do know that when you make a fucking decision to have one. You're also taking the decision to take responsibiltiy for her. You don't abandon your obligation as a parent because you have other plans". He didn't say a word back and turned to Roe. "Roelynn, get here" he ordered her, "she is not going anywhere" I told him back, he shot me a death glare before turning back to Roe. He tried to reach for her but I pushed his arm away. "Alfie get out of my way" he snapped. I shook my head telling him that I refuse to get out of his way. He suddenly quickly reached around me to grab for Roe. But he missed her only managing to get a hold of her teddy bear, Mr Monty. Roe tried to get away from him by pulling back in a tug-of-war. Meanwhile I tried getting Tommy off from Mr Monty and Roe. "Roelynn, Stop" Tommy yelled at her while trying to keep his hold on the stuffed bear as I pulled him back furthed. "Let go!" Roe screamed at him. All three of us yelled at each other and continued to pull on one another. She pulled one more time but then Mr Monty ripped in half. Making all of us fall to the ground at the sudden loss. I fell ontop of Tom and we started to wrestle each other.  I pushed him back onto the ground and kept my grip on him. I saw his arm trying to reach for his gun that had fallen a little away from the both of us. I quickly pushed myself of from him in an attempt to reach for the gun. But once again he was quicker than me. We fought for the gun. But with multiple hands reaching and fighting for it. One is bound to reach for the trigger. My instinct made me hit his arm away from, preventing him from killing me. I was just in time because a heartbeat later he had pulled the trigger. I was certain that both our ear were ringing. I shook my head to get my hearing back. Once I got it back wonder crossed my mind of where the bullet had been fired of to.

(Tommy's P.O.V.)
I groaned and rubbed my temple after the ringing faded. "Tommy". I looked at Alfie who said my name like a terrified person. I noticed his facial features, it looked like he saw a ghost or something from his worst nightmare. I followed his gaze and froze once I saw what he was looking at. My blood ran stone cold as I saw Roe with a bloodstained shirt. "N..no. no!" I yelled and scrambled to my feet. I was going so fast that I wasn't even able to get to my feet properly and it was more in a stumble way of moving. Roe was swaying a bit trying to find her balance. But fell forward eventually due to the loss of blood. Thankfully I arrived in time to catch her when she fell forward. "Roe! Roe look at me" I ordered her with a shaking breath as she laid in my arms. Her lip was shaking as her emerald green eyes looked up at me in terror and pain. "You're going to be alright" I told her while moving her in my arms so I could put pressure on the bullet wound. "I'm going to make sure you're alright" I told her. She cried out in pain as I put my hand on her wound and it made me sick to my stomach to hear those cries escape from her lips. "Get me a fucking ambulance!" I yelled turning to Alfie who immediatly did what I asked him. I turned back to look at her "Roe? Roe come on! You've got to keep breathing, sweetheart" I asked her while my voice broke, "Please, you've got to keep breathing for me" I whispered and wiped her hair from her face, "you have to keep breathing". "Where is that fucking ambulance!" I yelled out once again.

Published: 29th of October 2022

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