𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐈𝐓 a thomas shelby fanfiction [✓]

xxxiv

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR | cheeky charlie

★

Today Tommy had asked Lucie to accompany him to Sheffield. He'd found the location of Polly's son. She felt awkward around Thomas. She was keeping a secret from him. But she could see how his hand gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.

"He'll come home, Tom. He will want to meet his mother." Lucie rubbed Thomas' arm softly in an attempt to comfort him. He smiled and kept his eyes on the road.

They parked up at the end of a row of homes. Out in the country side. It reminded Lucie of her old home in Manchester. The quiet buzz of children playing. The small dirt paths which joined every house. The white picket fences.

Thomas saw Lucie's eyes light up as she looked at the row of white homes. He knew she was reminiscing on her past. He came up behind her and hugged her waist tightly, causing Lucie a little pain since she was a little sore still.

"What's wrong?" Thomas asked, letting go of Lucie.

It was her chance to tell him, but she just couldn't find the words.

"I'm not feeling so well, you squeezed me." Lucie laughed. Tommy smiled.

He linked his hand with hers and began to walk down the small path to the home. Lucie admired the houses, she sometimes wished she'd never left her village, but she knew her life would be very different. And for that reason she's glad to have left.

The reached the home, a woman would stood by her picket fence. It sounded as though she'd just told her children to go inside.

"Mrs Johnson?" Thomas questioned.

"Yes, who are you?" Her sweet voice questioned.

"We're from Birmingham council, Bordesley parish." Thomas replied, he'd really thought this through.

"Nobody wrote to me. What do you want?" Her voice became less sweet but laced with a sinister tone.

"I would like to talk about your son, Henry." Thomas calmly spoke. "Can we come in?"

"I'd rather you didn't — he doesn't like to talk about this." His mother stuttered.

"I see. So what does Henry know about his real identity Mrs Johnson?" Thomas questioned.

"He knows his mother couldn't cope. She drank too much, she used opium, she used to beat him." Lucie head snapped straight to Mrs Johnson.

"But that's not true. You know full well that is not true." Lucie spat, ruining Thomas' calm and collected front.

"No, something isn't right here, you aren't from the parish." Mrs Johnson was no longer speaking softly.

"Does he even know his real name?" Thomas questioned.

"His real name is Johnson. Henry Johnson." Mrs Johnson spat.

"Truth is he was taken from his mother without her permission." Thomas began, Lucie watched the boy who walked up the path towards them.

Henry.

"Luce! I can't believe it." Henry began. He pushed past his mother and hugged Lucie tightly.

"Charlie! I thought I'd never see you again! Oh my gosh." Lucie laughed and held him tightly.

Henry. Or Charlie as he was known in Manchester. He came one day, a family had taken him in. He and Lucie used to play all the time, until he was taken away a few years before the war.

"Charlie, Charlie. I know your mother. I live with her. She wants to see you, please. I miss you, I want to see you. Take the card. Please Charlie." Lucie smiled and cried. Something she was becoming accustomed to.

"No, no! Get away from him!" Mrs Johnson tried to pull them apart.

"No! You get off me! Get your hands off of me. Who the fuck do you think you are? I haven't seen him in years." Lucie exploded.

Mrs Johnson attempted to argue back but Lucie wouldn't let her.

"No, you don't get to speak. Don't lay a hand on me. I knew Charlie long before you did. Now you let me speak to him." Lucie shouted.

Charlie, or Henry, or Michael just laughed at his childhood best friend, he'd never seen her explode like that. She was so sweet in Manchester. Being a part of the Shelby's changed her. But changed her for the better.

"Charlie your name is Michael Gray. This is your cousin Tommy. Okay. We live in Small Heath. The Garrison. If you come, ask for Elizabeth Gray, or Lucie Scott, or even Thomas Shelby. Just come okay?" Lucie smiled and held him tightly before letting go and grabbing onto Thomas' arm.

The pair ran from the home straight back to the car. Lucie couldn't believe how many people she'd re met this month. Even though she lost someone, she met many too.

"Cheeky Charlie, hey?" Thomas laughed, offering Lucie a cigarette.

"Cheeky Charlie and Little Lucie. The pair who ruled the world." Lucie giggled.

"Polly won't believe that you know Michael. She'll think it's some sort of sign that you're meant to be with this family." Thomas held onto Lucie's hand.

"He came to Manchester with a girl too. They called her Millie. She was my age, only stayed for a week before she was taken again." Lucie looked down at hers and Thomas' hands which were clasped together.

"That will have been Anna. Polly's daughter. She's dead, I have their files. She was taken to Australia." Tommy began to drive back to Small Heath.

"Jesus fuck. Poor woman, Polly. She lost two children, but will only gain one." Lucie sighed.

"Polly's strong. Really strong. I'm sure she's going to be just fine. Loosing a child will hurt. I can't imagine her pain when they were taken. I'd hate if it was my child that was taken. I'd be a wreck." Thomas replied.

Lucie couldn't tell him. He said so himself. He'd be a wreck.