VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

TWENTY TWO

make sure to read twenty one first!

trigger warning: death

Florence had been sitting in the Shelbys' front room for what felt like a lifetime, watching the two babies as Ada fussed about getting ready upstairs. Florence wasn't exactly sure what the girl was doing, given that Tommy had told them both to leave with great urgency.  In the time that Ada had been upstairs Florence had managed to make a call to George, who promised to meet her and Ada somewhere between the Bull Ring and Small Heath. 

Knowing that they could both be at risk out in the open, Florence had placed her revolver in her bag, in case Kimber's men managed to find them both.

"Put that on," Ada appeared in front of her, handing her a long black jacket, while she stood dressed head to toe in black, as though she was dressed for a funeral.

"Ada, we'll hardly blend in at the Bull Ring dressed like this," Florence sighed.

"We're not going to the Bull Ring," Ada told her firmly, "We're going to prove a point."

"What are you talking about?" Florence frowned.

"All those men, they have families, wives and children wondering whether or not they'll make it home tonight, I'm not going to stand here and let them stage a massacre across our streets," Ada told her, and Florence feared it might be the worst idea she'd heard from the girl.

"We can't do that, Tommy said we need to go somewhere safe," Florence attempted to reason with her.

"I know you've got Elijah as a father figure for Daisy, but do you really want that little girl growing up with a memory of Tommy that only exists in photographs and stories?" Ada asked, "You can stay here if you want, but I'm going with or without you."

"Alright," Florence sighed, agreeing with every word that Ada had said, "We should hurry, they'll be here soon."

The two women made the way out of the house into the crisp winter air, pushing their prams in which their babies slept. Florence knew that Tommy would have a word or two to say about her involvement in Ada's plan, but she agreed with Ada, she needed those boys to be okay.

"You know Tommy will go mad when he sees us, don't you?" Florence sighed as the two women sped down the street, pushing their respective prams.

"That's the least of our worries," Ada replied, "I know this whole thing is stupid, but we have to stop them."

"I hope we're not too late," Florence muttered as the two women made their way around a corner, closing in on the Garrison, where they expected the men to be.

"They haven't started shooting yet, surely that's a good thing," Ada attempted to reassure the girl.

"We can only hope," Florence answered before they reached another corner which led onto the street outside the Garrison. Florence peered round the corner to be met with a sight of the Peaky Blinders facing Kimber's men, who easily outnumbered them.

"What's happening?" Ada whispered as Florence kept her eyes on the two groups of men, with guns pointed at each other.

"Our boys are outnumbered, Freddie's made it," Florence muttered, "And Danny Whizz Bang, I thought he was dead?"

"Come on," Ada whispered, pushing Karl's pram as Florence followed after her, pushing Daisy who remained asleep.

"Move!" Ada exclaimed as she shoved through the crowd of Kimber's men, followed by Florence.

"What are you doing?" Freddie shouted as he laid eyes on Ada, the look on Tommy's face asking the same question as he stared at Florence.

"I believe you boys call this no man's land," Ada replied as she stopped in the gap between the two groups of men, Florence doing the same.