What would happen if Polly's daughter had survived rather than her son?
What would happen if Michael wasn't a Shelby but instead fell for one?
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Michael and Anna hated each other from the moment they met. But it wasn't long before their proximity an...
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fifteen the mercy seat
Anna had never driven so fast in her entire life. The speed worried Michael but he kept his concerns to himself, not wanting to cause an outburst of whatever feelings she was holding in.
Polly was stood outside waiting as they barrelled up the driveway. She too had rushed over after one of the women in the house had rang her. Anna swerved into the drive, only narrowly missing the other cars sat there.
"What happened?" Anna yelled at her mother, not even pausing when she reached her stood by the door.
"He won't say anything, he's upstairs not letting anyone in the room, just keeps saying he needs to talk to you." Polly followed Anna as she rushed through the house.
"Oh fuck." She leaped up the stairs, Michael and her mother no longer following.
Bursting into Tommy's room, she saw a shadowy figure hunched over, groaning in pain.
"Get out." The figure grumbled.
"Tommy." She ignored his instruction, walking over to where he was sat on his bed. Blood was trailing from a wound on his head, his face sweating. Anna helped him out of his suit jacket and tie before gently urging him to lay on the bed. He let her tend to his wounds, partially because he was too tired not to and also because he knew what he had to tell her would upset her.
Whilst cleaning his wounds, Tommy had closed his eyes. Anna mistook this for him falling asleep and so when he called her name as she began to leave, she almost jumped out of her skin.
"What is it Tom?" She asked with her hand placed over her heart.
"How do you know the priest?"
"What do you mean?" Her heart was beating out of her chest, tears threatening to spill over as she recalled her experiences with him.
"After his men had finished beating me, he described how he was going to take Charlie and then you because he'd seen how good you were with kids."
"It's nothing, Tom. I knew him once but he never hurt me, I swear it."
"You and Charlie are not to leave the house unless I'm with you." Anna knew she wouldn't stick to this idea but she agreed nonetheless as he was in no fit state to argue.
"Goodnight Tom." He groaned in response. Pausing once she had left the room, Anna stood thinking about the situation she was now in. She couldn't help but feel responsibility for what the priest had done as she knew him long before the others and never warned them about the bad man he was.
She entered her room to see Michael sat up in bed reading the paper, his naked torso exposed. He turned his attention to her as soon as she entered the room, immediately registering the unfamiliar emotion in her eyes.
