Lucille

Tommy's arm was warm, wrapped around her own. For the first time in days, Lucille felt content, even if she knew the feeling would be fleeting. Arthur and John never failed to make her smile with their silly games and playful comments. Since leaving the Garrison, they'd spent the walk to Watery Lane with their guns out, playing some sort of game of cops and robbers, mocking shots and injuries and shouts of profanity.

Adds laughed the whole way home, her small face like a ball of sunshine as she tried to waddle forward to meet her uncles. Arthur stopped halfway up the street and swooped down to meet her, hoisting the small child up into his arms.

"Let's go get John, eh," he said before he chased after his brother, arm held out to him as John skidded away, hand held to his head to stop his flat so from flying away.

Lucille watched them with a smile as they reached Watery Lane.

"Has anyone ever told you that you could make a good father, Arthur?"

"No never," he said, putting Adds down so she could take her mother's hand. "Haven't met the right women yet, either."

"You will."

Arthur nodded before he ran back after John, skidding through the door of the house, crashing into the kitchen. Lucille and Tommy followed, Adds between them, tumbling over her feet slightly as she hopped over the doorstep, in too much hurry to see Polly.

"Run for the hills! It's the Digbeth Kid!"

"You know when you used to tell me about your brothers I never thought I'd see them running around like they're playing with toy guns," Lucille said as Tommy took her coat, hanging it at the door.

He let out a puff of a sigh. "I never thought I'd see that either."

"Get out of town kid or I will shoot your fucking head off!" Arthur's shout came from the kitchen. "You're dead. Go down, John."

John didn't respond. When they walked into the room, he was standing straight behind Arthur, his eyes directed to his Aunt where sat a boy no older than seventeen beside her. Arthur turned with furrowed brows, beady eyes resting in the stranger.

"All right then Polly," he said swiftly. "Who's this?"

"Gentlemen, this is your cousin," Tommy said. "Michael."

"Pleased to meet you," the boy said.

Dressed in his light coloured suit and with the slick hair, Michael seemed to look less like Polly's son than he had all those weeks ago when she'd visited his adoptive home with Tommy. Then he'd been minimally dressed- a pair of trousers and a white too, braces hanging down his sides, hair unravelled from the styled it must have been made into that morning by his mother. Even the bow around his neck stood out oddly. Too prim and proper, one of the Shelby brothers might have said, had the boy been anytime but their own cousin.

The two boys looked at each other, sharing a single, disbelieving glance before Arthur stepped forward, the first to greet him. Like John, his hat was clutched between his fingers, giving his hands something to do.

"I'm Arthur. You've met me. I used to throw you out of the window so John could catch you," he said, a smirk slowly forming against his lips.

John nodded and cleared his throat, stepping beside his brother. "I used to put you in a shoebox and kick you down Watery Lane."

"I bet you're glad to be back," Tommy said.

To Lucille's surprise, Michael laughed as if he'd expected nothing other to come from his cousins' mouths. It made sense, though, for the flippant comments to come from the eldest and youngest, with Tommy being the one to have the short, most sensible thing to say.

"I don't remember any of it," Michael said as he looked around at each of them. "All I remember is the day they took me away."

Polly grimaced and the gesture seemed to darken the entire room.

"Well, you're here now, son. Welcome to the Shelby family."

"Later we'll show you the ropes," Arthur added, pulling his hat down firmly into his small head.

John exaggerated a nod. "Yeah, we'll show you what's what."

"Let's leave him be for now. Let's go boys."

Tommy took Adds by the waist, pulling her up until she sat sturdily on his shoulder, and followed his brothers out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. Lucille remained behind, watching them leave before she reached for the tea tray, pouring herself a cup and lastly looking toward Michael.

"They seem nice."

"Lucille. Tommy... I'm with Tommy," she said, not knowing how else to describe her connection to the family.

"You were with him in the village."

Lucille smiled. "Yes. Lovely to meet you."

She left the two to find Tommy in the sitting room, Adds balanced on his knee, John's hat on her head. The younger brother lay flat against the floor, arms spread out like a starfish.

"What are you boys doing?"

"She killed me!" John cackled. "Got me square in the chest."

Lucille dropped herself down by Tommy, tickling Adds under the chin for a second before she leaned back, nudging John, who now sat up on the floor, with her foot.

"Fancy letting a child shoot you down."

He rolled his eyes but smiled, taking his brother's hat back and chucking it to Arthur. Lucille's gaze slid to the side, catching Tommy's eyes resting upon her. She leaned into him, sliding the cap from his head and resting it upon her own, blonde curls.

He smirked, chin lifting up as he peered down at her.

"Be careful with that."

Lucille leaned in forward until their noses were almost touching. "Don't worry," she said. "I know what you hide in the lining."

The flat cap slid down her head, dipping low across her eyes obscuring the perfect view of the man in front. His finger lifted it, eyes sparkling blue, lips pursed in the trademark Shelby smirk. Her own eyes drifted lower, landing in the quirk of his mouth until he brought her in for a kiss.

❦

When Lucille returned to the kitchen, Polly's son had disappeared, leaving her sitting alone at the table, nursing a cup of tea in one hand and a cigarette in the other. For a moment, Lucille's nerves settled in at home again, but then their eyes met and Pol's relaxed expression was understood. She stood quickly, finding the old cup, and poured her another, making sure she sat downs

"Where's Michael?"

"He's gone to the Garrison. There's a phone there," Pol explained easily.

"How has it been?"

"Magical. He's perfect. The more things he says, the more he reminds me of different people," she said, a strong grin spreading across her lips.

Despite her happiness for the woman, Lucille could not muster more than a simple, closed-lipped smile. Aunt Pol's hand found Its way to hers.

"Are you alright?"

Lucille let out a harsh sigh. Of course, she knew. Nothing evaded Polly Gray. Not even something as mediocre as a letter.

But nothing was mediocre about the letters she'd received from Adam. The man who she called ex-husband in the politest of terms had left no room for the contents of his letters to be dismissed. He was persistent if nothing else. Though reflecting on the past, perhaps it was arrogance more than anything.

"Tommy told you about the letters?"

"Yes."

"There's another," she said. "There's a return address in England this time. I don't think it was purposeful."

"Where?" Polly asked, her eagerness showing a little too much.

Lucille bit her lip. "London."

"What are you planning?"

"I need to finish this. If my father is ill, then I can't leave him. But Adam needs to leave us alone."

The only way to move on was to leave him- to leave everything about France in the past. That went for Tommy too. His nightmares were less frequent, and he slept soundly beside her for the most part, but still, thoughts of the war were trapped in his head. Adam's appearance would do no help.

"Tommy is in London. I can be there and home before he's back."

As she finished her sentence, the door was thrown open and Finn stumbled in, his cheeks flushed a deep red.

"I can go with her to make sure she's okay," he shouted before Pol could say a word.

"Finn! Were you eavesdropping?"

"Yes," he said, not giving a care in the world. He sat down in front of them, leaning in as if it would make a difference. "I can come. And I need a chance to practice my driving."

"Finn, you can drive better than the brother that taught you," Polly hissed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head in disbelief.

"I mean it! I can go with her," Aunt Lucy is family, and what do we do for family Aunt Pol? You always told us that we protect family, no matter what."

"Your tongue is getting too sharp, boy," Polly said. "Too much like your brother."

Finn grinned, already knowing that he'd managed to get his own way.

"When do we go?"

"Tomorrow."

❦

How are you all? It's been a while!

Updates are back! Going to be once every two weeks, most likely on a weekend xox