"You shouldn't have brought her here..............." Polly said harshly, as she and the rest of the family sat in the sitting room.

"She was making herself a new life, and now you've dragged her back into this............." She continued, before lighting her cigarette. The older woman looking to Ada for support.

Tommy had already arranged for the others to come to the house for the evening, before what had happened earlier. Polly and Ada happy at the notion of seeing the former teacher again, until they had been informed of what had occurred. It obvious that even if this had been done to help Arthur, it was most certainly not helping (Y/n).

"Where's Arthur, now.................?"

"After finishing off a bottle of whiskey, he went up to his room. I haven't seen him since..............." Tommy replied, as he puffed on his own cigarette.

"I told (Y/n) to go and get some rest. Haven't see her since either............" He continued. The head of the Shelby firm having a feeling that his aunt was right. For despite the fact that he was glad to see her, that Charlie was glad to see her, and that Arthur had almost instantly seemed to have become his old self; bringing her back to Small Heath, appeared to have ruined the peace that she had been able to find on that farm in Cumbria. But could he really let her leave now that he had brought her back. Could he let that joy leave his son's life again...............could he let it leave his own.

"You should take her home, Tommy. Let her go. We'll deal with Arthur..........." Polly continued. Tommy finding himself nodding absentmindedly. Not noticing as the time passed, and his family slowly left him to his thoughts. Not noticing that he was now sat there all alone. The house seemingly as quiet as the grave.

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

(Y/n) woke with a start; rubbing her eyes, sure that she had just heard something break. But now all she heard was silence. When she had got to her room, it had been morning; but now, it was most certainly not. The sky outside the window now dark. The moon covered by a heavy cloud. She had cried herself to sleep. It was strange, but this somehow felt worse than when she had originally left Birmingham. As if she had opened a wound that was still raw, and made it ten times worse. Her whole body aching as she tried to move. In the past, she had been so sure of what she wanted; sure, of what to do with her life. But now............nothing could be further from the truth.

Before Tommy had come to the farm, she had become content with the knowledge that she wouldn't teach again; that her life would now centre around her grandparent's farm. That all she had to think about during the day, was milking Mabel and the other cows; making sure that the chickens and geese were fed, and Hector got his oats and a good brush to make his coat shine. Yet at this moment, the notion of leaving Small Heath again, made her feel sick. The former school teacher dropping her head into her hands. Her thoughts racing, as her mind and heart continued to fight one another.

Slowly she moved her legs to the side of the bed; allowing her still slightly damp stocking covered feet, to gingerly touch the floor. She should probably try and go back to sleep; but she knew that her thoughts wouldn't allow it now. She had only been back in Birmingham for just over twenty-four hours, but it felt like everything had been flipped upside down. Yet the sudden sound of her stomach grumbling made her chuckle slightly. The teacher slowly getting to her feet and heading for the door, hoping that she would be able to find the kitchen.

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

Arthur looked down into his once again empty glass. His fingers gripping tightly to the tumbler, before he threw it at the wall. The glass breaking into a hundred pieces. The next to follow it, the half full bottle of whiskey, that he had taken from Tommy's office. The glass once more shattering and sending shards around the room; the brown liquor staining and dripping down the wall.

Slowly, he fell to his knees; his mind, his body too numb to notice the pain as some of the glass dug into his flesh. His head dropping into his hands and his fingers wrenching at his hair. Since (Y/n) had left, he had been able to think of nothing but her. When his brother had told him what he had done that night, why (Y/n) had gone, all he had wanted to do, was find her. He had even begged Tommy to help him, pleaded with him to speak to people and hope that they might know where the school teacher could have gone. But as the days passed, it became clearer and clearer to him, that he would never see the beautiful, sweet woman again. His life spiraling out of control; sinking into the abyss of booze and drugs. Yet when he had awoken that morning, he had seen a glimmer of light; hope filling him, as he had looked down upon her sleeping form. But now..........now that hope had once more left him. This feeling worse than when she had gone before; the oldest Shelby reaching under his bed to retrieve his weapon, Arthur making sure that it was loaded, before he slowly got to his feet. Blood making its way down his legs, as he stumbled over to the door of the room. Arthur knowing that he couldn't go through losing (Y/n) again; that one way or another, the darkness was going to take him. So, why not get it over with.