So I made this using some of my favorite quotes from some of my favorites movies/tv series. I have these here so you can send in requests. Just send me a number and the character you want. If you want to send a scenario as well, that is fine with me. Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these quotes. Fandom List here
Criminal Minds
1. “So she lived somewhere for two months and didn’t make any friends? I thought that only happened to me.”
2. “Hey what’s with you? Do you need a hug or something?”
3. “If anything happens to her/him, I will destroy you.”
4. “You see the beauty in everything and everyone no matter where you go.”
5. “I’ve got a glock leveled at your crotch. What’s to stop me from taking you and the little ones out right now?”
DC Universe
6. “People hate what they don’t understand.”
7. “I haven’t been happy one day out of my entire fucking life.”
8. “Wouldn’t be much of a surrender if I resisted.”
9. “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
10. “What I do, I do freely and with a clear conscience.”
Friends
11. “I wish I could, but I don’t want to.”
12. “They don’t know that we know they know we know.”
13. “You’re so far past the line, you can’t even see the line. The line is a dot to you.”
14. “I’m not so with the advice…Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?”
15. “Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re gonna love it.”
Game of Thrones
16. “Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.”
17. “I grew up with soldiers. I learned how to die a long time ago.”
18. “I’m not a lady. I never have been. That’s not me.”
19. “I haven’t given you permission to leave.”
20. “There is only one hell. The one we live in now.”
Harry Potter
21. “You’re a little scary sometimes, you know that? Brilliant, but scary.”
22. “I’ll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there.”
Series Summary: Anita Edwards is a spy who works for Tommy Shelby. She is an orphan and longs for a family. Will Tommy ever realize she is his daughter, despite them not being blood? Or will he lose her forever?
Chapter 4 Summary: Anita meets someone she thought she would never get the chance to. Tommy isn't happy about it.
Characters: Tommy Shelby, OC, Polly Gray, some other PB characters
Anita jumps, barely stopping herself from screaming. She turns to the owner of the voice that just scared the shit out of her; pulling out her knife. "What the fuck? Who are you?"
Alfie chuckles. "Feisty little thing, ain't ya?"
The eleven year old glances behind her, wondering if she should make a run for it.
"There's no need to be frightened, dove. Ol' Alfie isn't going to hurt ya."
"Alfie?" She lowers her arm that's holding the knife. “Alfie Solomons?”
Alfie grins. "The child knows my name."
"I thought Mr Shelby killed you."
Alfie leans down, pointing to the scar on his face. "Well he fucking tried, didn't he?"
The two stared at each other in complete silence. Eventually Anita holds out her hand.
"I'm Anita. Nice to meet you."
Alfie shakes the girl's hand. "So you're the famous Anita Edwards Ollie has told me so much about." He gestures to the man hidden in the shadows.
Anita frowns. Okay, maybe this was a bad idea. She steps back, gripping her knife tightly in her fist. He might kill her to get revenge on Tommy.
"I'm not going to hurt you, dove. I already told you I wouldn't. I need you to do me a favor, right; I need you to give this to Tommy."
Anita stares at the envelope in his outstretched hand. "Why can't you?"
"I'm dead, remember?"
"If you give this to Mr Shelby, everyone will know that's not true." Ollie argues.
Anita can tell by Ollie's voice that they've had this conversation before.
"He already knows, Ollie boy! When I was fucked up on all those meds, I asked Tommy about Cyril."
"Cyril is your dog?"
Alfie smiles. "Yes. How is my boy?"
Anita grins, putting her knife away. "Fat and lazy." Her grin turns into a full smile when the man laughs. "He loves to cuddle."
Remembering what they were first talking about, Anita's smile falls. "How do you know who I am?"
"Ollie's been keeping an eye on Tommy, you see; making sure that little gypsy man doesn't get into too much trouble. He's noticed you around." He pauses dramatically as he stares her down. "He noticed you were digging up information about me, right; and I wanted to know why."
Anita winces at the mention of her little investigation on the man. "You didn't happen to put that in the letter, did you?"
The grin’s back. "Tommy told you to leave ‘dead’ me be?" The young girl nods. "No, I didn't mention the nosy girl, right; thought it was fun having an admirer."
Anita crinkles her nose. "Who said anything about an admirer?"
"Well, I just did, didn't I?"
Anita decides she's not even going to answer that. "None of your men ever told anyone you were alive." She doesn't admit it out loud, but she is impressed no one blabbered.
"My men fucking love me." He holds out the envelope once again. "So will you do poor ol' Alfie this favor?"
Anita smiles. He is nothing like she imagined; but he's endearing in an annoying, yet amusing way.
So she takes the envelope.
"Ollie, I think it's time we get out of hell. Goodbye, my little dove. It was a fucking pleasure to meet you."
Anita giggles. Tommy at least tries not to curse in front of her as much as he does in front of others; but this man doesn't hold back. "Bye Mr Solomons."
"Fucking hell." He mutters. "It's Alfie. No need to be formal."
Anita resists the urge to roll her eyes. "Bye Alfie."
The man smiles softly before following Ollie into an alley where their car is probably hidden.
Anita knows Tommy hasn't gone home yet so she decides to give him the letter now.
She tries to get into the shop, but the door is locked. She checks the windows, smiling when she finds one unlocked. She slips in, trying to be as quiet as possible.
She only takes about three steps when she hears a gun cock. "Hi, Mr Shelby."
"Anita?" Tommy uncocks the gun, setting it on a table. He takes two large strides until he's standing in front of the girl. He grabs her chin, a little more roughly than he meant to. "What the fuck are you doing, young lady?"
Anita's eyes widened. "I-I knew you were still here." She tells him lamely; not really knowing what to say. Why is he so mad?
"You can't just sneak in whenever you want to. I could've shot you, Anita." He scolds, releasing his hold on her chin. "Why didn't you knock?"
The young girl shrugs her shoulders. She sneaks into all kinds of places to get information for him.
How the hell does he think she gets that information?
She holds out the envelope. "I have a letter for you." She says sheepishly; refusing to look him in the eye.
Tommy frowns at the girl; debating on whether or not to scold her some more. He eventually decides against it, taking the envelope from her. "Who's it from?"
Anita subconsciously takes a few steps back. "Alfie Solomons." She mumbles.
Tommy's hand freezes and his head snaps up. "What was that?" He growls; his eyes hardening when Anita stays quiet. "Answer me, young lady." The fear of her learning the truth rises and even though he shouldn't be as angry as he's acting, he lets the anger take over.
Anita draws a circle on the floor with her shoe-covered toes. Two 'young lady's' in one night is not a good sign. "Alfie Solomons." She tells him a little louder this time.
Tommy leans against the table, a hand covering his eyes. He takes a deep breath. It's not her fault, he reminds himself before focusing back on the letter.
Anita watches him read the letter, her body twitching with anticipation. Even back when she asked who Alfie Solomons was; Tommy lost his temper. He forbade her from talking about him again and she doesn’t understand why he wants to avoid the subject so much.
And does he not understand that telling her no, makes her want to do it so much more?
Once Tommy finishes reading it, he slips the folded paper in his suit pocket.
"What did he want?"
Tommy raises his eyebrows; surprised by her gall to even ask such a question. "That is not your concern. Now-" He bends forward until his eyes are leveled with hers. "What do I have to do to make sure you never crawl through another fucking window?"
"N-Nothing. I won't do it a-again." Anita lies; cursing herself for stuttering.
Tommy doesn't believe her one bit; but if she's really to risk upsetting him by lying, then she must believe she has a good reason for defying him. So he lets it be, for now. He'll have to think on it before he brings it up again.
When he straightens, Anita decides to ask a question of her own. "Why did you tell me Alfie was dead?"
Tommy reaches in his pocket, pulling out his lighter and cigarette case. "At the time, I thought he was."
"Why didn't you tell me when he sent you that letter that he is alive?"
"You spoke to him." Tommy states; wondering why the fuck Alfie came all the way to Birmingham to give him a letter when last time he fucking used the postal. "I don't give you information. That's your job." He reminds her, pointing the lit cigarette at her.
Anita scoffs. "Why is that such a terrible thing? He was nice."
"Go home, Anita." Tommy orders, his voice back to his usual monotone intonation.
That tone hits a nerve that she can't hide. not tonight. "I don't have a home." She snaps. "But don't worry, I'm going." She heads for the window, ignoring Tommy calling her name.
Once she's outside, she turns to face him. "This is how I get your information. I sneak around in places where I shouldn't be. So you better get used to the idea that I do this quite often. How else am I supposed to get inside the orphanage without getting into trouble, eh?" She doesn't wait for a response; her courage draining with each second as his glare darkens.
She hates disappointing him and she hates being upset with him. But dammit! She hates it even more when he uses that bored, monotone voice with her.
It makes her feel like she's just like everyone else. That she means nothing to him.
"I think it's time you took a break."
And with those words with that same damn monotone, her hate shifts. "You know what? I think you're fucking right!" She shouts, slamming the window shut.
Her eyes widen in slight fear when Tommy bolts to the front door. She has no idea what would happen if he caught her, but she's not staying around to find out.
She runs.
Anita stirs as she feels the train come to a halt and a man yells 'London!'
She heads for the door, sighing in relief when she doesn't see a Shelby or a Peaky in sight.
Ten minutes into her walk through town, she spots three men coming straight for her.
"You're the Shelby's little snitch, aren't ya?"
Anita tries to bolt but one of the men stops her; grabbing both her arms. "Let me go!" She tries to sound like Polly when she's telling off the Shelby men, but she knows she failed.
The men laugh at her attempts to escape. "Oh, this is her. You ratted us out to Thomas Shelby and almost got us killed. We only took what was owed to us."
Anita remembers the men and scoffs at his words. "If you're stupid enough to steal from the Shelby's, than you're lucky to be alive. Be grateful I knew where your stash was or else I don't think Mr Shelby would have spared your miserable lives."
The punch to her gut knocks the breath out of her. She gasps for air as the man holding her lets her drop to the ground.
"The little bitch has a mouth on her."
She cries out when one of their boots connects with her side. Knowing that wasn't the end, she clamps her mouth shut and curls into herself to protect her organs; just like how Arthur taught her in case she was ever caught.
When she hears the click of a loaded gun, Anita squeezes her eyes shut in anticipation of her death.
She flinches with each gunshot, counting a total of three. The silence is so loud, her curiosity gets the better of her and she slowly peels her eyes open.
To her surprise, not only are the men gone, but she sees a familiar man standing in front of her.
"Alfie?"
"The fuck you doing in London, Dove?"
She opens her mouth to answer him, but her body gives in to the pain; her eyes rolling into the back of her head.
The last thing she hears, is "Fuck!"
The Shelby family never thought the day would come where there would be tension between Thomas Shelby and Anita Edwards. And they definitely didn't think it would affect the whole family or the business for that matter.
Anita only comes around when she has information or when she's needed.
Tommy tries to avoid being alone with her as much as possible. She doesn't try to stay in his office with him anymore. She doesn't beg to be more involved in the business. And she only comes to the Arrow House when he's not there.
"You need to fix this, Thomas." Polly scolds him one day.
"I'm not the one who needs to do the fixing."
"Oh, stop being a child. You're the adult; fucking act like it."
Tommy focuses on the papers on his desk, letting his aunt know he's done listening to her.
Polly storms out, but her anger drains away when she sees a laughing Anita sitting at one of the betting tables. She's not sure what story Arthur is telling the eleven year old, but it must be funny.
"Anita, love; he's ready to see you."
The smile drops at her words. "Can't I just tell you the information and you can tell him?"
Polly shakes her head, a small smile gracing her lips. "He wants to see you." At least she hopes her nephew does; to make things right.
"I don't know why; he barely says a fucking word." Anita mumbles as she stands to her feet.
As the girl starts to pass by her, Polly gently grabs her chin; her eyebrows raised.
Anita can only keep eye contact for a few moments before looking down. "Sorry."
Polly leans down to kiss the top of her head. "It'll get better; I promise."
Anita wants to believe her, but it's been two months since she gave Tommy Alfie's letter. It was tense afterwards, but when Anita let it slip that her and Alfie started writing to one another; he's been cold.
She doesn't understand why he hates the idea of her and Alfie being pen pals. Even though she saw no reason for him to, she let him read some of their letters. They never talk about business. Mostly about Cyril and ships. Aflie likes to describe some of the ships he sees. Anita did mention that her and Tommy are not on good terms, but she didn't show that letter to the leader.
She softly knocks on the door, but doesn't wait for an invitation. If he's expecting her then there's no point of her waiting for a response.
“Anita?”
The young girl takes her normal seat across from the man. “Polly said you were ready to see me.”
Tommy internally rolls his eyes; but on the outside he has his normal, bored expression plastered on his face. “Yes, what do you have for me?”
“Nothing.” This is why she wanted to just tell Polly. She’s not in a mood for a lecture.
Tommy frowns, opening the box of cigarettes. “Nothing?”
“Nothing.” She repeats. “So-” She stands to her feet. “Am I free to go or are going to lecture me about how I need to do my job?”
Tommy freezes at her words; the small flame only centimeters away from the unlit cigarette. It’s like something just clicked in his brain. She’s a ten year old kid wondering about a man, who is not even her family, is going to lecture her about a job. A very dangerous job.
“Anita, wait.”
Anita stops. She looks up at the door to his office. “So close.” She mutters to herself.
She turns around, hoping he isn’t really going to lecture her. “Yes, Mr Shelby?”
Tommy stands from his chair, the cigarette forgotten. He gestures to the chair she was just occupying. “Please sit.” He leans back against the front of his desk, right in front of the chair, her chair.
Anita frowns. Did he just say please? Her eyes scan his, trying to see any hidden meaning behind his words; but all she sees is vulnerability. She sees a softness in his stare that she’s only seen pointed at Charlie. So she heads back to the chair; hoping this isn't some kind of trap.
Tommy stares straight ahead while Y/n stares down at her lap. They stay like this for a few minutes.
“I’m sorry for the way I’ve been handling things. And I’m sorry for the way I reacted to you and Alfie’s… friendship. I could have handled that better.” Did Alfie tell her the truth? Does she know?
Anita stares at him, her mouth wide open and her eyes as big as they can go. “You’re what?”
Tommy lets himself roll his eyes this time. “I’m fucking sorry, alright?”
‘I was fucking jealous.’
He can’t say those words aloud; but that doesn't mean they're any less true. He keeps playing her words over and over in one of the letters she wrote to Alfie.
'I'm grateful to have someone like you to talk to. Someone I can see as a father figure or an uncle.'
“I see it in your eyes. Just like I did in Michael's .”
Anita never properly met Polly’s son, but she’s heard of him. “And what did you see?” She cautiously asks.
“Intelligence… cunning. You’re a very bright young lady, Anita. I took advantage of that. I keep forgetting you’re only fucking ten. I need someone with your kind of mind, your loyalty. I just need them to be-”
“A man?” She interrupts with a raised eyebrow.
“Of age.” Tommy corrects, but he doesn’t deny her words.
“Polly says you were acting like a toddler who had to share their toy.” She’s starting to forgive him, but a simple apology isn’t enough.
Tommy closes his eyes. His aunt is going to be the death of him. “I don’t consider you a toy, Anita.” He tries not to think about how wrong that sounds. “So-” He’s ready to move this along. “Am I forgiven?”
She stays quiet for a moment. “Take me horse riding and I’ll say yes.” Anita knew there would be a day she would forgive him. She just figured it would sorta just happen; not when he, The Thomas Shelby, apologizes to her.
“You want me to fucking what?”
“I haven't been on a horse for over a month. Lizzie found out I’ve been going by myself since you sent Johnny Dogs wherever and she won’t let me go anywhere near the stables. So I want you to take me.”
“Johnny has been doing what?” Tommy has never felt so confused in his life. How many times has Y/n been to his house and he hasn’t known? When did Johnny start taking her horse riding with HIS horses?
Anita smiles; proud of herself for making Tommy so flabbergasted. “Aw, don’t be mad at Johnny. We always bring the horses back.” She thinks she has the right to tease him some; with what he put her these last two months.
“How do you even get to my house?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “It’s not that far from the orphanage and Johnny showed me some shortcuts. I’m used to walking.”
“How did no one know?”
She smirks, her confidence rising. A side of the young girl that hardly ever surfaces. A side of her that trauma, abuse, and being unloved shoved down inside her. A side she's only shown to two people, rising with the side of her lips.
“Mr Shelby, it’s simple, I’m a fucking great spy.”
Anita didn’t feel like a great anything as she pukes for the fifth time since Alfie helped her into his car. She has the upper half of her body hanging outside of the car as Alfie once again brings the car to a stop.
She groans as her body yells in pain with each movement. “How much farther to Margate?”
“Just another hour, dove.”
“Should you even be driving?”
Alfie grins. “I fucking doubt it.”
She groans again. If the pain doesn’t kill her, Alfie and his one eye will.
@multifandomwriter56 Ahhh, Karissa! I've missed your lovely OC and this amazing series! You didn't waste any time plunging us back into the action. That scene in London when Anita is captured by her enemies had my heart pounding! And I adore the tension you're creating adding Alfie to the mix. There's no one who puts Tommy on edge faster! And rightfully so considering the protective feelings stirred within Tommy regarding Anita. I loved the apology scene bc we glimpse his humanity in the past disappointment with Michael which you reveal to heartbreaking effect. However, you excel at balancing these moments with Anita's wit and charm. The anecdote about her stealing his horses had me giggling again within moments 🤭 Ty for continuing this! I can’t wait for more!
@zablife Wow, Lee. I forgot how much I love your comments. You always make me feel so good about my work and inspire me to leave comments like yours for others.
Hi, Karissa! And welcome back! I saw your posts yesterday but I didn't feel well and didn't have energy to do anything, but now here I am ❤️.
55. “Sometimes bad people happen to good dogs.”
With Alfie + Cyril, maybe? I think it fits. But no pressure at all ❤️. Thanks!!
Flor!!! I've missed you! How are you?
Thank you. I hope you are feeling better. An idea started forming as soon as I read this. I will add a reader insert to this if you don't mind. Do you have a preference between these?
A/N: This is for @anyfandomfluffbingo and @anyfandomgoesbingo and also for my Fandom Prompt List. I decided to go back to college so that is part of the reason I wrote this. Hope you enjoy!
Square Filled (Fluff): “You can’t say ‘back in my day’ when you’re younger than me.”
Square Filled (AFG): Free Space
Fandom Prompt List: 48 “I’ve never lied to you.”
Summary: Y/n has some news for Tommy, but she doesn’t know how to tell him. So instead of telling him, she gossips.
Characters: Tommy Shelby, Shelby!Reader, mentions other characters
Warnings: language… I really can’t think of anything else
@multifandomwriter56 Karissa, I was giggling and kicking my feet as I read this! It’s such an adorably clever take on the prompt considering the angst I’d been anticipating. Tommy’s annoyance at his sister’s antics (beautifully illustrated by your choice of GIF btw) was a delight. It’s clear she’s kept him on his toes since she arrived 15 years earlier. (A backstory that melted my heart!) I howled at the notion of her meeting Alfie and what that would do to Tommy’s rapidly fraying nerves 🤣 Just when I thought she’d pushed him beyond all limits, you managed to give us the softest ending. Tommy declaring his admiration for his little sister was so lovely. Well done!
@zablife Thank you, Lee!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. When I was writing this, I thought about going down the angst road, but then I saw this gif of him; and I had a different idea in mind.
So I made this using some of my favorite quotes from some of my favorites movies/tv series. I have these here so you can send in requests. Just send me a number and the character you want. If you want to send a scenario as well, that is fine with me. Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these quotes. Fandom List here
Criminal Minds
1. “So she lived somewhere for two months and didn’t make any friends? I thought that only happened to me.”
2. “Hey what’s with you? Do you need a hug or something?”
3. “If anything happens to her/him, I will destroy you.”
4. “You see the beauty in everything and everyone no matter where you go.”
5. “I’ve got a glock leveled at your crotch. What’s to stop me from taking you and the little ones out right now?”
DC Universe
6. “People hate what they don’t understand.”
7. “I haven’t been happy one day out of my entire fucking life.”
8. “Wouldn’t be much of a surrender if I resisted.”
9. “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
10. “What I do, I do freely and with a clear conscience.”
Friends
11. “I wish I could, but I don’t want to.”
12. “They don’t know that we know they know we know.”
13. “You’re so far past the line, you can’t even see the line. The line is a dot to you.”
14. “I’m not so with the advice…Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?”
15. “Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re gonna love it.”
Game of Thrones
16. “Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.”
17. “I grew up with soldiers. I learned how to die a long time ago.”
18. “I’m not a lady. I never have been. That’s not me.”
19. “I haven’t given you permission to leave.”
20. “There is only one hell. The one we live in now.”
Harry Potter
21. “You’re a little scary sometimes, you know that? Brilliant, but scary.”
22. “I’ll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there.”
Series Summary: Anita Edwards is a spy who works for Tommy Shelby. She is an orphan and longs for a family. Will Tommy ever realize she is his daughter, despite them not being blood? Or will he lose her forever?
Chapter 4 Summary: Anita meets someone she thought she would never get the chance to. Tommy isn't happy about it.
Characters: Tommy Shelby, OC, Polly Gray, some other PB characters
Anita jumps, barely stopping herself from screaming. She turns to the owner of the voice that just scared the shit out of her; pulling out her knife. "What the fuck? Who are you?"
Alfie chuckles. "Feisty little thing, ain't ya?"
The eleven year old glances behind her, wondering if she should make a run for it.
"There's no need to be frightened, dove. Ol' Alfie isn't going to hurt ya."
"Alfie?" She lowers her arm that's holding the knife. “Alfie Solomons?”
Alfie grins. "The child knows my name."
"I thought Mr Shelby killed you."
Alfie leans down, pointing to the scar on his face. "Well he fucking tried, didn't he?"
The two stared at each other in complete silence. Eventually Anita holds out her hand.
"I'm Anita. Nice to meet you."
Alfie shakes the girl's hand. "So you're the famous Anita Edwards Ollie has told me so much about." He gestures to the man hidden in the shadows.
Anita frowns. Okay, maybe this was a bad idea. She steps back, gripping her knife tightly in her fist. He might kill her to get revenge on Tommy.
"I'm not going to hurt you, dove. I already told you I wouldn't. I need you to do me a favor, right; I need you to give this to Tommy."
Anita stares at the envelope in his outstretched hand. "Why can't you?"
"I'm dead, remember?"
"If you give this to Mr Shelby, everyone will know that's not true." Ollie argues.
Anita can tell by Ollie's voice that they've had this conversation before.
"He already knows, Ollie boy! When I was fucked up on all those meds, I asked Tommy about Cyril."
"Cyril is your dog?"
Alfie smiles. "Yes. How is my boy?"
Anita grins, putting her knife away. "Fat and lazy." Her grin turns into a full smile when the man laughs. "He loves to cuddle."
Remembering what they were first talking about, Anita's smile falls. "How do you know who I am?"
"Ollie's been keeping an eye on Tommy, you see; making sure that little gypsy man doesn't get into too much trouble. He's noticed you around." He pauses dramatically as he stares her down. "He noticed you were digging up information about me, right; and I wanted to know why."
Anita winces at the mention of her little investigation on the man. "You didn't happen to put that in the letter, did you?"
The grin’s back. "Tommy told you to leave ‘dead’ me be?" The young girl nods. "No, I didn't mention the nosy girl, right; thought it was fun having an admirer."
Anita crinkles her nose. "Who said anything about an admirer?"
"Well, I just did, didn't I?"
Anita decides she's not even going to answer that. "None of your men ever told anyone you were alive." She doesn't admit it out loud, but she is impressed no one blabbered.
"My men fucking love me." He holds out the envelope once again. "So will you do poor ol' Alfie this favor?"
Anita smiles. He is nothing like she imagined; but he's endearing in an annoying, yet amusing way.
So she takes the envelope.
"Ollie, I think it's time we get out of hell. Goodbye, my little dove. It was a fucking pleasure to meet you."
Anita giggles. Tommy at least tries not to curse in front of her as much as he does in front of others; but this man doesn't hold back. "Bye Mr Solomons."
"Fucking hell." He mutters. "It's Alfie. No need to be formal."
Anita resists the urge to roll her eyes. "Bye Alfie."
The man smiles softly before following Ollie into an alley where their car is probably hidden.
Anita knows Tommy hasn't gone home yet so she decides to give him the letter now.
She tries to get into the shop, but the door is locked. She checks the windows, smiling when she finds one unlocked. She slips in, trying to be as quiet as possible.
She only takes about three steps when she hears a gun cock. "Hi, Mr Shelby."
"Anita?" Tommy uncocks the gun, setting it on a table. He takes two large strides until he's standing in front of the girl. He grabs her chin, a little more roughly than he meant to. "What the fuck are you doing, young lady?"
Anita's eyes widened. "I-I knew you were still here." She tells him lamely; not really knowing what to say. Why is he so mad?
"You can't just sneak in whenever you want to. I could've shot you, Anita." He scolds, releasing his hold on her chin. "Why didn't you knock?"
The young girl shrugs her shoulders. She sneaks into all kinds of places to get information for him.
How the hell does he think she gets that information?
She holds out the envelope. "I have a letter for you." She says sheepishly; refusing to look him in the eye.
Tommy frowns at the girl; debating on whether or not to scold her some more. He eventually decides against it, taking the envelope from her. "Who's it from?"
Anita subconsciously takes a few steps back. "Alfie Solomons." She mumbles.
Tommy's hand freezes and his head snaps up. "What was that?" He growls; his eyes hardening when Anita stays quiet. "Answer me, young lady." The fear of her learning the truth rises and even though he shouldn't be as angry as he's acting, he lets the anger take over.
Anita draws a circle on the floor with her shoe-covered toes. Two 'young lady's' in one night is not a good sign. "Alfie Solomons." She tells him a little louder this time.
Tommy leans against the table, a hand covering his eyes. He takes a deep breath. It's not her fault, he reminds himself before focusing back on the letter.
Anita watches him read the letter, her body twitching with anticipation. Even back when she asked who Alfie Solomons was; Tommy lost his temper. He forbade her from talking about him again and she doesn’t understand why he wants to avoid the subject so much.
And does he not understand that telling her no, makes her want to do it so much more?
Once Tommy finishes reading it, he slips the folded paper in his suit pocket.
"What did he want?"
Tommy raises his eyebrows; surprised by her gall to even ask such a question. "That is not your concern. Now-" He bends forward until his eyes are leveled with hers. "What do I have to do to make sure you never crawl through another fucking window?"
"N-Nothing. I won't do it a-again." Anita lies; cursing herself for stuttering.
Tommy doesn't believe her one bit; but if she's really to risk upsetting him by lying, then she must believe she has a good reason for defying him. So he lets it be, for now. He'll have to think on it before he brings it up again.
When he straightens, Anita decides to ask a question of her own. "Why did you tell me Alfie was dead?"
Tommy reaches in his pocket, pulling out his lighter and cigarette case. "At the time, I thought he was."
"Why didn't you tell me when he sent you that letter that he is alive?"
"You spoke to him." Tommy states; wondering why the fuck Alfie came all the way to Birmingham to give him a letter when last time he fucking used the postal. "I don't give you information. That's your job." He reminds her, pointing the lit cigarette at her.
Anita scoffs. "Why is that such a terrible thing? He was nice."
"Go home, Anita." Tommy orders, his voice back to his usual monotone intonation.
That tone hits a nerve that she can't hide. not tonight. "I don't have a home." She snaps. "But don't worry, I'm going." She heads for the window, ignoring Tommy calling her name.
Once she's outside, she turns to face him. "This is how I get your information. I sneak around in places where I shouldn't be. So you better get used to the idea that I do this quite often. How else am I supposed to get inside the orphanage without getting into trouble, eh?" She doesn't wait for a response; her courage draining with each second as his glare darkens.
She hates disappointing him and she hates being upset with him. But dammit! She hates it even more when he uses that bored, monotone voice with her.
It makes her feel like she's just like everyone else. That she means nothing to him.
"I think it's time you took a break."
And with those words with that same damn monotone, her hate shifts. "You know what? I think you're fucking right!" She shouts, slamming the window shut.
Her eyes widen in slight fear when Tommy bolts to the front door. She has no idea what would happen if he caught her, but she's not staying around to find out.
She runs.
Anita stirs as she feels the train come to a halt and a man yells 'London!'
She heads for the door, sighing in relief when she doesn't see a Shelby or a Peaky in sight.
Ten minutes into her walk through town, she spots three men coming straight for her.
"You're the Shelby's little snitch, aren't ya?"
Anita tries to bolt but one of the men stops her; grabbing both her arms. "Let me go!" She tries to sound like Polly when she's telling off the Shelby men, but she knows she failed.
The men laugh at her attempts to escape. "Oh, this is her. You ratted us out to Thomas Shelby and almost got us killed. We only took what was owed to us."
Anita remembers the men and scoffs at his words. "If you're stupid enough to steal from the Shelby's, than you're lucky to be alive. Be grateful I knew where your stash was or else I don't think Mr Shelby would have spared your miserable lives."
The punch to her gut knocks the breath out of her. She gasps for air as the man holding her lets her drop to the ground.
"The little bitch has a mouth on her."
She cries out when one of their boots connects with her side. Knowing that wasn't the end, she clamps her mouth shut and curls into herself to protect her organs; just like how Arthur taught her in case she was ever caught.
When she hears the click of a loaded gun, Anita squeezes her eyes shut in anticipation of her death.
She flinches with each gunshot, counting a total of three. The silence is so loud, her curiosity gets the better of her and she slowly peels her eyes open.
To her surprise, not only are the men gone, but she sees a familiar man standing in front of her.
"Alfie?"
"The fuck you doing in London, Dove?"
She opens her mouth to answer him, but her body gives in to the pain; her eyes rolling into the back of her head.
The last thing she hears, is "Fuck!"
The Shelby family never thought the day would come where there would be tension between Thomas Shelby and Anita Edwards. And they definitely didn't think it would affect the whole family or the business for that matter.
Anita only comes around when she has information or when she's needed.
Tommy tries to avoid being alone with her as much as possible. She doesn't try to stay in his office with him anymore. She doesn't beg to be more involved in the business. And she only comes to the Arrow House when he's not there.
"You need to fix this, Thomas." Polly scolds him one day.
"I'm not the one who needs to do the fixing."
"Oh, stop being a child. You're the adult; fucking act like it."
Tommy focuses on the papers on his desk, letting his aunt know he's done listening to her.
Polly storms out, but her anger drains away when she sees a laughing Anita sitting at one of the betting tables. She's not sure what story Arthur is telling the eleven year old, but it must be funny.
"Anita, love; he's ready to see you."
The smile drops at her words. "Can't I just tell you the information and you can tell him?"
Polly shakes her head, a small smile gracing her lips. "He wants to see you." At least she hopes her nephew does; to make things right.
"I don't know why; he barely says a fucking word." Anita mumbles as she stands to her feet.
As the girl starts to pass by her, Polly gently grabs her chin; her eyebrows raised.
Anita can only keep eye contact for a few moments before looking down. "Sorry."
Polly leans down to kiss the top of her head. "It'll get better; I promise."
Anita wants to believe her, but it's been two months since she gave Tommy Alfie's letter. It was tense afterwards, but when Anita let it slip that her and Alfie started writing to one another; he's been cold.
She doesn't understand why he hates the idea of her and Alfie being pen pals. Even though she saw no reason for him to, she let him read some of their letters. They never talk about business. Mostly about Cyril and ships. Aflie likes to describe some of the ships he sees. Anita did mention that her and Tommy are not on good terms, but she didn't show that letter to the leader.
She softly knocks on the door, but doesn't wait for an invitation. If he's expecting her then there's no point of her waiting for a response.
“Anita?”
The young girl takes her normal seat across from the man. “Polly said you were ready to see me.”
Tommy internally rolls his eyes; but on the outside he has his normal, bored expression plastered on his face. “Yes, what do you have for me?”
“Nothing.” This is why she wanted to just tell Polly. She’s not in a mood for a lecture.
Tommy frowns, opening the box of cigarettes. “Nothing?”
“Nothing.” She repeats. “So-” She stands to her feet. “Am I free to go or are going to lecture me about how I need to do my job?”
Tommy freezes at her words; the small flame only centimeters away from the unlit cigarette. It’s like something just clicked in his brain. She’s a ten year old kid wondering about a man, who is not even her family, is going to lecture her about a job. A very dangerous job.
“Anita, wait.”
Anita stops. She looks up at the door to his office. “So close.” She mutters to herself.
She turns around, hoping he isn’t really going to lecture her. “Yes, Mr Shelby?”
Tommy stands from his chair, the cigarette forgotten. He gestures to the chair she was just occupying. “Please sit.” He leans back against the front of his desk, right in front of the chair, her chair.
Anita frowns. Did he just say please? Her eyes scan his, trying to see any hidden meaning behind his words; but all she sees is vulnerability. She sees a softness in his stare that she’s only seen pointed at Charlie. So she heads back to the chair; hoping this isn't some kind of trap.
Tommy stares straight ahead while Y/n stares down at her lap. They stay like this for a few minutes.
“I’m sorry for the way I’ve been handling things. And I’m sorry for the way I reacted to you and Alfie’s… friendship. I could have handled that better.” Did Alfie tell her the truth? Does she know?
Anita stares at him, her mouth wide open and her eyes as big as they can go. “You’re what?”
Tommy lets himself roll his eyes this time. “I’m fucking sorry, alright?”
‘I was fucking jealous.’
He can’t say those words aloud; but that doesn't mean they're any less true. He keeps playing her words over and over in one of the letters she wrote to Alfie.
'I'm grateful to have someone like you to talk to. Someone I can see as a father figure or an uncle.'
“I see it in your eyes. Just like I did in Michael's .”
Anita never properly met Polly’s son, but she’s heard of him. “And what did you see?” She cautiously asks.
“Intelligence… cunning. You’re a very bright young lady, Anita. I took advantage of that. I keep forgetting you’re only fucking ten. I need someone with your kind of mind, your loyalty. I just need them to be-”
“A man?” She interrupts with a raised eyebrow.
“Of age.” Tommy corrects, but he doesn’t deny her words.
“Polly says you were acting like a toddler who had to share their toy.” She’s starting to forgive him, but a simple apology isn’t enough.
Tommy closes his eyes. His aunt is going to be the death of him. “I don’t consider you a toy, Anita.” He tries not to think about how wrong that sounds. “So-” He’s ready to move this along. “Am I forgiven?”
She stays quiet for a moment. “Take me horse riding and I’ll say yes.” Anita knew there would be a day she would forgive him. She just figured it would sorta just happen; not when he, The Thomas Shelby, apologizes to her.
“You want me to fucking what?”
“I haven't been on a horse for over a month. Lizzie found out I’ve been going by myself since you sent Johnny Dogs wherever and she won’t let me go anywhere near the stables. So I want you to take me.”
“Johnny has been doing what?” Tommy has never felt so confused in his life. How many times has Y/n been to his house and he hasn’t known? When did Johnny start taking her horse riding with HIS horses?
Anita smiles; proud of herself for making Tommy so flabbergasted. “Aw, don’t be mad at Johnny. We always bring the horses back.” She thinks she has the right to tease him some; with what he put her these last two months.
“How do you even get to my house?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “It’s not that far from the orphanage and Johnny showed me some shortcuts. I’m used to walking.”
“How did no one know?”
She smirks, her confidence rising. A side of the young girl that hardly ever surfaces. A side of her that trauma, abuse, and being unloved shoved down inside her. A side she's only shown to two people, rising with the side of her lips.
“Mr Shelby, it’s simple, I’m a fucking great spy.”
Anita didn’t feel like a great anything as she pukes for the fifth time since Alfie helped her into his car. She has the upper half of her body hanging outside of the car as Alfie once again brings the car to a stop.
She groans as her body yells in pain with each movement. “How much farther to Margate?”
“Just another hour, dove.”
“Should you even be driving?”
Alfie grins. “I fucking doubt it.”
She groans again. If the pain doesn’t kill her, Alfie and his one eye will.
Inspired by my 100+ lovely followers, @love-me-a-good-prompt’s “THANK YOU IDEAS” prompt list, and a suggestion from the lovely @cas-kingdom
Summary: From the Little Lady Blinder Universe. Clara Shelby wants to bake her brother a special treat for his birthday but needs a bit of assistance in gathering ingredients.
Featuring: Tommy Shelby, John Shelby, Clara Shelby, and Nipper (Shelby cousin)
—–
Clara stared at the space between the topmost cupboard and the ceiling, to the spot where Polly set the sugar, far out of her and Finn’s reach, rationing it now that she saw how much the pair were shoveling into their afternoon tea.
Clara had already collected the other ingredients, mixed the dry things together, waiting on the sugar in the hopes that someone taller would pass through, but she could wait no longer.
She didn’t need much, knew that her brother wasn’t particularly fond of sweet things anyway, but the biscuit she chose still called for a small measure of the stuff, so Clara pulled over a chair and climbed onto the counter with a clean wooden spoon, intending to push the small container close enough to the edge for her outstretched fingers to reach.
Clara yelped and the spoon clattered to the floor as a pair of hands on her waist tugged her from the countertop.
Tommy settled her on his hip, an act he nearly regretted when she latched her flour-covered hands around him.
“You’re not meant to be home yet,” Clara said.
“And you’re not meant to be up on the counters.” Tommy shifted her to glance at the mess on the table but Clara quickly pushed his face back to her’s with a flour-covered hand.
“Arthur said you had a meeting.”
“I did,” he answered, the two words coming out slow, with a hint of suspicion. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing.”
Clara tried to pull out of his arms but Tommy held her there, turning them both towards the mess again.
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
“Nothing that concerns you, then,” Clara corrected. “Let me down, Tommy.”
“Let you down so you can climb back up on the counters?”
“Wouldn’t need to if Aunt Polly stopped putting the sugar all the way up there,” Clara answered, pointing towards the canister and reaching towards it from Tommy’s arms.
Tommy chuckled. The sugar had spent a portion of his childhood on that shelf as well thanks to John.
“What do you need the sugar for?”
“Because I need it,” Clara answered, all pouting lips and big shining eyes. “Please, Tommy?”
“Tell me what you need it for,” Tommy said again.
Clara groaned, going a bit limp in his arms. “But it’s none of your business,” she answered.
“None of my business? Not much under this roof that falls under that category.”
Clara knew all about the different types of business to be found in the Shelby household. There was the betting business and family business and women’s business and funny business. In the months since the boys returned home, Clara had learned that her brother seemed to think he was entitled to have a hand in all of it, though he often declined participating in the funny business, more often just accusing her and Finn of it.
“Well, this does,” she answered. “It’s Clara business.”
“Clara business, eh?” he said. “That sounds like something that’ll only end in trouble.”
“No, it won’t. I promise, Tommy.”
“You promise?”
Clara nodded and Tommy let her down, reaching up to grab the sugar from the top shelf and placing it in her hands. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Clara smiled before skipping away from him to plop the container down on the table. She began scanning through the recipe to find her spot and Tommy lingered, flicking open his cigarette case as he watched her.
“You know you’ve got to clean all this up before Aunt Polly comes back or she’ll be after us both,” he said, waving the cigarette around at the mess.
“I will,” she answered.
Tommy stepped over to her, glancing into the mixing bowl. “An—”
Clara pushed her brother towards the shop doors. “Thank you. I can take it from here.”
Tommy opened his mouth once she had him over the threshold, about to step back into the room, but Clara tugged on the string holding the curtain back and the red velvet fell between them.
Series Summary: Anita Edwards is a spy who works for Tommy Shelby. She is an orphan and longs for a family. Will Tommy ever realize she is his daughter, despite them not being blood? Or will he lose her forever?
Chapter 4 Summary: Anita meets someone she thought she would never get the chance to. Tommy isn't happy about it.
Characters: Tommy Shelby, OC, Polly Gray, some other PB characters
Anita jumps, barely stopping herself from screaming. She turns to the owner of the voice that just scared the shit out of her; pulling out her knife. "What the fuck? Who are you?"
Alfie chuckles. "Feisty little thing, ain't ya?"
The eleven year old glances behind her, wondering if she should make a run for it.
"There's no need to be frightened, dove. Ol' Alfie isn't going to hurt ya."
"Alfie?" She lowers her arm that's holding the knife. “Alfie Solomons?”
Alfie grins. "The child knows my name."
"I thought Mr Shelby killed you."
Alfie leans down, pointing to the scar on his face. "Well he fucking tried, didn't he?"
The two stared at each other in complete silence. Eventually Anita holds out her hand.
"I'm Anita. Nice to meet you."
Alfie shakes the girl's hand. "So you're the famous Anita Edwards Ollie has told me so much about." He gestures to the man hidden in the shadows.
Anita frowns. Okay, maybe this was a bad idea. She steps back, gripping her knife tightly in her fist. He might kill her to get revenge on Tommy.
"I'm not going to hurt you, dove. I already told you I wouldn't. I need you to do me a favor, right; I need you to give this to Tommy."
Anita stares at the envelope in his outstretched hand. "Why can't you?"
"I'm dead, remember?"
"If you give this to Mr Shelby, everyone will know that's not true." Ollie argues.
Anita can tell by Ollie's voice that they've had this conversation before.
"He already knows, Ollie boy! When I was fucked up on all those meds, I asked Tommy about Cyril."
"Cyril is your dog?"
Alfie smiles. "Yes. How is my boy?"
Anita grins, putting her knife away. "Fat and lazy." Her grin turns into a full smile when the man laughs. "He loves to cuddle."
Remembering what they were first talking about, Anita's smile falls. "How do you know who I am?"
"Ollie's been keeping an eye on Tommy, you see; making sure that little gypsy man doesn't get into too much trouble. He's noticed you around." He pauses dramatically as he stares her down. "He noticed you were digging up information about me, right; and I wanted to know why."
Anita winces at the mention of her little investigation on the man. "You didn't happen to put that in the letter, did you?"
The grin’s back. "Tommy told you to leave ‘dead’ me be?" The young girl nods. "No, I didn't mention the nosy girl, right; thought it was fun having an admirer."
Anita crinkles her nose. "Who said anything about an admirer?"
"Well, I just did, didn't I?"
Anita decides she's not even going to answer that. "None of your men ever told anyone you were alive." She doesn't admit it out loud, but she is impressed no one blabbered.
"My men fucking love me." He holds out the envelope once again. "So will you do poor ol' Alfie this favor?"
Anita smiles. He is nothing like she imagined; but he's endearing in an annoying, yet amusing way.
So she takes the envelope.
"Ollie, I think it's time we get out of hell. Goodbye, my little dove. It was a fucking pleasure to meet you."
Anita giggles. Tommy at least tries not to curse in front of her as much as he does in front of others; but this man doesn't hold back. "Bye Mr Solomons."
"Fucking hell." He mutters. "It's Alfie. No need to be formal."
Anita resists the urge to roll her eyes. "Bye Alfie."
The man smiles softly before following Ollie into an alley where their car is probably hidden.
Anita knows Tommy hasn't gone home yet so she decides to give him the letter now.
She tries to get into the shop, but the door is locked. She checks the windows, smiling when she finds one unlocked. She slips in, trying to be as quiet as possible.
She only takes about three steps when she hears a gun cock. "Hi, Mr Shelby."
"Anita?" Tommy uncocks the gun, setting it on a table. He takes two large strides until he's standing in front of the girl. He grabs her chin, a little more roughly than he meant to. "What the fuck are you doing, young lady?"
Anita's eyes widened. "I-I knew you were still here." She tells him lamely; not really knowing what to say. Why is he so mad?
"You can't just sneak in whenever you want to. I could've shot you, Anita." He scolds, releasing his hold on her chin. "Why didn't you knock?"
The young girl shrugs her shoulders. She sneaks into all kinds of places to get information for him.
How the hell does he think she gets that information?
She holds out the envelope. "I have a letter for you." She says sheepishly; refusing to look him in the eye.
Tommy frowns at the girl; debating on whether or not to scold her some more. He eventually decides against it, taking the envelope from her. "Who's it from?"
Anita subconsciously takes a few steps back. "Alfie Solomons." She mumbles.
Tommy's hand freezes and his head snaps up. "What was that?" He growls; his eyes hardening when Anita stays quiet. "Answer me, young lady." The fear of her learning the truth rises and even though he shouldn't be as angry as he's acting, he lets the anger take over.
Anita draws a circle on the floor with her shoe-covered toes. Two 'young lady's' in one night is not a good sign. "Alfie Solomons." She tells him a little louder this time.
Tommy leans against the table, a hand covering his eyes. He takes a deep breath. It's not her fault, he reminds himself before focusing back on the letter.
Anita watches him read the letter, her body twitching with anticipation. Even back when she asked who Alfie Solomons was; Tommy lost his temper. He forbade her from talking about him again and she doesn’t understand why he wants to avoid the subject so much.
And does he not understand that telling her no, makes her want to do it so much more?
Once Tommy finishes reading it, he slips the folded paper in his suit pocket.
"What did he want?"
Tommy raises his eyebrows; surprised by her gall to even ask such a question. "That is not your concern. Now-" He bends forward until his eyes are leveled with hers. "What do I have to do to make sure you never crawl through another fucking window?"
"N-Nothing. I won't do it a-again." Anita lies; cursing herself for stuttering.
Tommy doesn't believe her one bit; but if she's really to risk upsetting him by lying, then she must believe she has a good reason for defying him. So he lets it be, for now. He'll have to think on it before he brings it up again.
When he straightens, Anita decides to ask a question of her own. "Why did you tell me Alfie was dead?"
Tommy reaches in his pocket, pulling out his lighter and cigarette case. "At the time, I thought he was."
"Why didn't you tell me when he sent you that letter that he is alive?"
"You spoke to him." Tommy states; wondering why the fuck Alfie came all the way to Birmingham to give him a letter when last time he fucking used the postal. "I don't give you information. That's your job." He reminds her, pointing the lit cigarette at her.
Anita scoffs. "Why is that such a terrible thing? He was nice."
"Go home, Anita." Tommy orders, his voice back to his usual monotone intonation.
That tone hits a nerve that she can't hide. not tonight. "I don't have a home." She snaps. "But don't worry, I'm going." She heads for the window, ignoring Tommy calling her name.
Once she's outside, she turns to face him. "This is how I get your information. I sneak around in places where I shouldn't be. So you better get used to the idea that I do this quite often. How else am I supposed to get inside the orphanage without getting into trouble, eh?" She doesn't wait for a response; her courage draining with each second as his glare darkens.
She hates disappointing him and she hates being upset with him. But dammit! She hates it even more when he uses that bored, monotone voice with her.
It makes her feel like she's just like everyone else. That she means nothing to him.
"I think it's time you took a break."
And with those words with that same damn monotone, her hate shifts. "You know what? I think you're fucking right!" She shouts, slamming the window shut.
Her eyes widen in slight fear when Tommy bolts to the front door. She has no idea what would happen if he caught her, but she's not staying around to find out.
She runs.
Anita stirs as she feels the train come to a halt and a man yells 'London!'
She heads for the door, sighing in relief when she doesn't see a Shelby or a Peaky in sight.
Ten minutes into her walk through town, she spots three men coming straight for her.
"You're the Shelby's little snitch, aren't ya?"
Anita tries to bolt but one of the men stops her; grabbing both her arms. "Let me go!" She tries to sound like Polly when she's telling off the Shelby men, but she knows she failed.
The men laugh at her attempts to escape. "Oh, this is her. You ratted us out to Thomas Shelby and almost got us killed. We only took what was owed to us."
Anita remembers the men and scoffs at his words. "If you're stupid enough to steal from the Shelby's, than you're lucky to be alive. Be grateful I knew where your stash was or else I don't think Mr Shelby would have spared your miserable lives."
The punch to her gut knocks the breath out of her. She gasps for air as the man holding her lets her drop to the ground.
"The little bitch has a mouth on her."
She cries out when one of their boots connects with her side. Knowing that wasn't the end, she clamps her mouth shut and curls into herself to protect her organs; just like how Arthur taught her in case she was ever caught.
When she hears the click of a loaded gun, Anita squeezes her eyes shut in anticipation of her death.
She flinches with each gunshot, counting a total of three. The silence is so loud, her curiosity gets the better of her and she slowly peels her eyes open.
To her surprise, not only are the men gone, but she sees a familiar man standing in front of her.
"Alfie?"
"The fuck you doing in London, Dove?"
She opens her mouth to answer him, but her body gives in to the pain; her eyes rolling into the back of her head.
The last thing she hears, is "Fuck!"
The Shelby family never thought the day would come where there would be tension between Thomas Shelby and Anita Edwards. And they definitely didn't think it would affect the whole family or the business for that matter.
Anita only comes around when she has information or when she's needed.
Tommy tries to avoid being alone with her as much as possible. She doesn't try to stay in his office with him anymore. She doesn't beg to be more involved in the business. And she only comes to the Arrow House when he's not there.
"You need to fix this, Thomas." Polly scolds him one day.
"I'm not the one who needs to do the fixing."
"Oh, stop being a child. You're the adult; fucking act like it."
Tommy focuses on the papers on his desk, letting his aunt know he's done listening to her.
Polly storms out, but her anger drains away when she sees a laughing Anita sitting at one of the betting tables. She's not sure what story Arthur is telling the eleven year old, but it must be funny.
"Anita, love; he's ready to see you."
The smile drops at her words. "Can't I just tell you the information and you can tell him?"
Polly shakes her head, a small smile gracing her lips. "He wants to see you." At least she hopes her nephew does; to make things right.
"I don't know why; he barely says a fucking word." Anita mumbles as she stands to her feet.
As the girl starts to pass by her, Polly gently grabs her chin; her eyebrows raised.
Anita can only keep eye contact for a few moments before looking down. "Sorry."
Polly leans down to kiss the top of her head. "It'll get better; I promise."
Anita wants to believe her, but it's been two months since she gave Tommy Alfie's letter. It was tense afterwards, but when Anita let it slip that her and Alfie started writing to one another; he's been cold.
She doesn't understand why he hates the idea of her and Alfie being pen pals. Even though she saw no reason for him to, she let him read some of their letters. They never talk about business. Mostly about Cyril and ships. Aflie likes to describe some of the ships he sees. Anita did mention that her and Tommy are not on good terms, but she didn't show that letter to the leader.
She softly knocks on the door, but doesn't wait for an invitation. If he's expecting her then there's no point of her waiting for a response.
“Anita?”
The young girl takes her normal seat across from the man. “Polly said you were ready to see me.”
Tommy internally rolls his eyes; but on the outside he has his normal, bored expression plastered on his face. “Yes, what do you have for me?”
“Nothing.” This is why she wanted to just tell Polly. She’s not in a mood for a lecture.
Tommy frowns, opening the box of cigarettes. “Nothing?”
“Nothing.” She repeats. “So-” She stands to her feet. “Am I free to go or are going to lecture me about how I need to do my job?”
Tommy freezes at her words; the small flame only centimeters away from the unlit cigarette. It’s like something just clicked in his brain. She’s a ten year old kid wondering about a man, who is not even her family, is going to lecture her about a job. A very dangerous job.
“Anita, wait.”
Anita stops. She looks up at the door to his office. “So close.” She mutters to herself.
She turns around, hoping he isn’t really going to lecture her. “Yes, Mr Shelby?”
Tommy stands from his chair, the cigarette forgotten. He gestures to the chair she was just occupying. “Please sit.” He leans back against the front of his desk, right in front of the chair, her chair.
Anita frowns. Did he just say please? Her eyes scan his, trying to see any hidden meaning behind his words; but all she sees is vulnerability. She sees a softness in his stare that she’s only seen pointed at Charlie. So she heads back to the chair; hoping this isn't some kind of trap.
Tommy stares straight ahead while Y/n stares down at her lap. They stay like this for a few minutes.
“I’m sorry for the way I’ve been handling things. And I’m sorry for the way I reacted to you and Alfie’s… friendship. I could have handled that better.” Did Alfie tell her the truth? Does she know?
Anita stares at him, her mouth wide open and her eyes as big as they can go. “You’re what?”
Tommy lets himself roll his eyes this time. “I’m fucking sorry, alright?”
‘I was fucking jealous.’
He can’t say those words aloud; but that doesn't mean they're any less true. He keeps playing her words over and over in one of the letters she wrote to Alfie.
'I'm grateful to have someone like you to talk to. Someone I can see as a father figure or an uncle.'
“I see it in your eyes. Just like I did in Michael's .”
Anita never properly met Polly’s son, but she’s heard of him. “And what did you see?” She cautiously asks.
“Intelligence… cunning. You’re a very bright young lady, Anita. I took advantage of that. I keep forgetting you’re only fucking ten. I need someone with your kind of mind, your loyalty. I just need them to be-”
“A man?” She interrupts with a raised eyebrow.
“Of age.” Tommy corrects, but he doesn’t deny her words.
“Polly says you were acting like a toddler who had to share their toy.” She’s starting to forgive him, but a simple apology isn’t enough.
Tommy closes his eyes. His aunt is going to be the death of him. “I don’t consider you a toy, Anita.” He tries not to think about how wrong that sounds. “So-” He’s ready to move this along. “Am I forgiven?”
She stays quiet for a moment. “Take me horse riding and I’ll say yes.” Anita knew there would be a day she would forgive him. She just figured it would sorta just happen; not when he, The Thomas Shelby, apologizes to her.
“You want me to fucking what?”
“I haven't been on a horse for over a month. Lizzie found out I’ve been going by myself since you sent Johnny Dogs wherever and she won’t let me go anywhere near the stables. So I want you to take me.”
“Johnny has been doing what?” Tommy has never felt so confused in his life. How many times has Y/n been to his house and he hasn’t known? When did Johnny start taking her horse riding with HIS horses?
Anita smiles; proud of herself for making Tommy so flabbergasted. “Aw, don’t be mad at Johnny. We always bring the horses back.” She thinks she has the right to tease him some; with what he put her these last two months.
“How do you even get to my house?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “It’s not that far from the orphanage and Johnny showed me some shortcuts. I’m used to walking.”
“How did no one know?”
She smirks, her confidence rising. A side of the young girl that hardly ever surfaces. A side of her that trauma, abuse, and being unloved shoved down inside her. A side she's only shown to two people, rising with the side of her lips.
“Mr Shelby, it’s simple, I’m a fucking great spy.”
Anita didn’t feel like a great anything as she pukes for the fifth time since Alfie helped her into his car. She has the upper half of her body hanging outside of the car as Alfie once again brings the car to a stop.
She groans as her body yells in pain with each movement. “How much farther to Margate?”
“Just another hour, dove.”
“Should you even be driving?”
Alfie grins. “I fucking doubt it.”
She groans again. If the pain doesn’t kill her, Alfie and his one eye will.
Seeing other writers on tumblr talk about writing is so validating because all of them are basically:
“I hate writing but I love it more than anything but it’s agony but I have a million stories to put to paper but I barely ever write a word”
And like I’ve always felt this way and I worried it meant I wasn’t supposed to be a writer, which tore me to shreds. But no. That’s just the curse of being one, I guess.
So I made this using some of my favorite quotes from some of my favorites movies/tv series. I have these here so you can send in requests. Just send me a number and the character you want. If you want to send a scenario as well, that is fine with me. Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these quotes. Fandom List here
Criminal Minds
1. “So she lived somewhere for two months and didn’t make any friends? I thought that only happened to me.”
2. “Hey what’s with you? Do you need a hug or something?”
3. “If anything happens to her/him, I will destroy you.”
4. “You see the beauty in everything and everyone no matter where you go.”
5. “I’ve got a glock leveled at your crotch. What’s to stop me from taking you and the little ones out right now?”
DC Universe
6. “People hate what they don’t understand.”
7. “I haven’t been happy one day out of my entire fucking life.”
8. “Wouldn’t be much of a surrender if I resisted.”
9. “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
10. “What I do, I do freely and with a clear conscience.”
Friends
11. “I wish I could, but I don’t want to.”
12. “They don’t know that we know they know we know.”
13. “You’re so far past the line, you can’t even see the line. The line is a dot to you.”
14. “I’m not so with the advice…Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?”
15. “Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re gonna love it.”
Game of Thrones
16. “Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.”
17. “I grew up with soldiers. I learned how to die a long time ago.”
18. “I’m not a lady. I never have been. That’s not me.”
19. “I haven’t given you permission to leave.”
20. “There is only one hell. The one we live in now.”
Harry Potter
21. “You’re a little scary sometimes, you know that? Brilliant, but scary.”
22. “I’ll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there.”
