(Y/n) turned around and looked at Arthur, dead in the eye. Despite the fact that she felt as though there was nothing more that she wanted to do, than take his face in her hands, and kiss him; her mind within that moment had taken her back to a very dark place. Back to the morning that she had left Small Heath. Back to the morning that she had taken a seat in the train carriage and cried uncontrollably. Her body so weak and pained when she had got to the end of the line, that she could barely move. For months, she had laid in her bed at her grandparent's farm, wishing that she was no more. Wishing that something, someone would take the painful images of Arthur fucking two whores in the private room of the Garrisson, from her memory. The school teacher barely eating or drinking. He had destroyed her world, broken her heart. Taken every soft, sweet and gentle part of her, and ground them under his boot. It had taken her so long to see sense. So long to see that there was a reason to go on. That Arthur fucking Shelby, was not the be all and end all of her life. That if at any point, he had actually cared for her...........loved her, he wouldn't have done what he had done. Yet here he was, seemingly thinking that a quick walk in the snow, a few sweet words and a glimpse of that sparkle in his eye, and she would fall into his arm. Well, she wasn't going to do it. She still loved him, yes. She still cared about him, yes. But once she had helped the family to convince him to stop trying to kill himself, she would be gone. The stupid romantic notions that she had been allowing herself to think again, sure to vanish over time; until Arthur Shelby was nothing more than a bad dream. (Y/n) feeling her jaw clench, as he continued to smile.

"Excuse me.......I need some air............" She said harshly, doing her best not to swear in front of Charles, before pushing her way passed Arthur and making her way out of the room. The older Shelby looking to his brother, as the door slammed violently. Tommy unable to do anything, but gesture for Arthur to follow her, as he went to his son, and did his best to distract him.

                                                             >>----------------------------------<<

(Y/n) ran out of the house without grabbing either her coat or shoes. Her bare feet instantly feeling the sting of the cold. But she didn't care; at this moment, she didn't care if she froze. She just needed to think clearly; to realise what she was doing to herself. That if she continued on this course, she could end up as bad as she had been, or worse. And she couldn't have that. Her fists balling up, as she stood in the snow. Doing her best to control the anger that she felt more to herself, than anyone else. Her ire consuming her, as the snow once more began to fall.

                                                               >>--------------------------------<<

Arthur made his way out of the room, and seeing the front door wide open, he grabbed his coat. His brows furrowing as he got to the open ingress and he saw the rigid form of the school teacher, shivering in the snow. Quickly he made his way over to her, pulling his own coat from his body, so that he could wrap it around.

"(Y/n), what.................."

"I don't want your coat, Arthur Shelby............." She growled in reply, before pulling the large wooden overcoat from her shoulders, and threw it into the snow.

"In fact, I don't want or need anything from you at all........." (Y/n) added, as she turned to glare at him. Arthur having to admit that this time, he was not sure what he had done.

"(Y/n)..............?"

"No. I can't do this. I can't love you again. My feelings for you nearly killed me once. Seeing you with those women, when I had thought that the man I had foolishly come to love, might actually feel the same, broke me. The look of pleasure on your face as you fucked them in front of everyone, not giving a damn about anything; caused me more pain than if you had taken a knife and plunged it straight into my heart.............."

"It was a mistake.................."

"Mistake........? Mistake...........? No, stripping naked and fucking two women is not what you get to describe as a mistake, Arthur. The next thing that you will try and tell me, is that it would never happen again. But it would, wouldn't it? The next time that you were out with your brothers, with the boys, and you had had one drink to many. When you had snorted just the right amount of powder up your nose; all it would take was a sweet smile, and a wink. So, no.........I am not going to let myself do this. I want to help you; to stop you from hurting yourself. But I can't love you............Please..........." (Y/n) shouted. Her voice drifting off to barely more than a whisper, as she said the last word. Tears streaming down her face, as she looked at him. The school teacher knocking Arthur's hand away, before she ran back towards the house. Leaving him standing alone in the snow.

                                                        >>----------------------------------<<

Charlie looked up at his father, as they both heard a raised voice from outside the house. Tommy simply ruffling his son's hair, before making his way to the door of the room. He had never heard (Y/n) sound like that before. Never heard that amount of anger, that amount of rage from her; and he had certainly never heard her swear. The head of the family firm making his way into the hall, to find the former school teacher rushing back into the house. Tommy wrapping his arms around her, as she came to him.

"(Y/n).............?"

"I'm sorry Tommy. I want to help; but I don't think that I can do it." (Y/n) sniffed, as she gripped tightly at the shirt he was wearing. Tommy looking up, to see his brother slowly making his way back to the house. His shoulders slumped in defeat. The look on his face telling Tommy that the rest of the day was not going to be an easy one.

"Why don't you go and rest. You had a long day yesterday, and not even a good night's sleep to make up for it........." Tommy said, as he moved just enough so that he could look at her. (Y/n) nodding slightly, as he brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumb, before the school teacher made her way up the stairs.

Suddenly, Arthur was back in the house. His eyes watching (Y/n) make her way up the steps, before going to Tommy's office. The older Shelby grabbing a glass and filling it to the top with liquor from one of the cut glass decanters on the table. The contents vanishing in one gulp, to only be filled again.

"Arthur............." Tommy said, as he came into the room.

"Do me a favour Tommy, yeah..........fuck off................"