Vide Cor Meum VI
Thomas Shelby x Reader
Summary: What would a man do to protect his family, wealth, and business? Marry his daughter off to Birmingham’s most ambitious: Thomas Shelby.
Word Count: 1302
Warnings: N/A
A/N: Sorry about that! I had a busy weekend and then my Google doc got deleted, so I put off rewriting this.
Parts: i | ii | iii | iv | v
The following days felt more familiar to you. You and Elliot shared laughs over afternoon tea. You got to flaunt a couple new outfits you'd custom-ordered from a tailor in France. There was games of "Are you There, Moriarty?" and "Charades" in the parlor with Elliot and friends.
You hadn’t dreamt much of what your life would be like as a wife or lady of the house. As you looked at your friends laughing and drinking by the fireside, you knew this is what it ought to have been.
His cool gaze caught your eye from the mantle. That odd photograph of you and your husband was a cruel reminder of your reality. For as long as he was gone, you would hold on to this pretend life. You'd keep it safe, tucked away within a dollhouse and its fictious walls.
With your mind preoccupied, the night seemed to carry on without you. No one missed a beat. The laughter and splendor carried on, until you parted with your friends at the front door.
"Bye Mary! Goodbye, Sylvie! Rupert, get them home safe! Help poor Mary get William inside!" You waved.
You were always a little sad when they left. A warm hand squeezed your shoulder and you leaned back into his warmth. He was your reminder that you were never left alone.
There was a fine line that would were dancing with Elliot. There wasn't room in a marriage for more than two people. Flowers compete with weeds. There can be no harmony there. For as knowledgeable about gardening as you were, you'd forgotten that those flowers need tending and weeding to survive.
You stepped out from his embrace reluctantly. You cast a bashful look to the floor and then up where Mary's scrutinizing gaze was. There was no hiding this from Thomas, but you'd taken safety measures.
"To bed, then. Goodnight, Elli. Thank you for keeping me company and watching out for me while Thomas is gone." You had barely talked of Tommy since Elliot had been here. Around Mary though, you felt like it was necessary to clear the air.
You two walked up the stairs. Elliot was always one step behind making sure you never lost your footing. At the top, you turned to him and gave him a hug.
"Thank you. Really."
He smiled," Always, (Y/N/N). You have always been the one."
Your cheeks burned with anxiety and embarrassment. A part of you yearned to let old feelings come forward, but you knew that was not okay.
You smiled and nodded. You backed up toward your room down the hall. "Goodnight, Elliot," you called," I will see you in the morning."
You nearly turned and ran into your room. You groaned. These were the problems in your life. Had you been able to make all of the decisions, none of this would have ever happened. You could have avoided all of this all together.
You sat by your vanity for some time. You ran the brush through your hair over and over. It be came a source of calming. You went to bed that night with much still on your mind.
You leaned over and blew the candle out and nestled back into your pillows.
You counted sheep.
You made plans for tomorrow.
You thought happy thoughts.
You twiddled your thumbs.
Finally, something happened.
He hadn't knocked. You could sense he had been hesitant to answer. After all, he had inferred earlier that you were always supposed to be his.
He was agile in the night and you wondered how he could see with the majority of the moonlight blocked by your curtains.
"Elliot, I've been thinking about it too…" you sighed deeply. He would surely be gone tomorrow when you told him you couldn't betray your vows to Tommy.
He said nothing but continued moving. You paused," Elliot, you can't be here.. I know. I never wanted this to happen. I have been scared to be alone. You made me feel safe here…"
You vomited all of that out until silence seeped in between you. For once, it was uncomfortable.
" I'm sorry Elliot." Anxiety rose like hot bile in your throat. You understood that he was probably disappointed and jaded. "Elliot?" The figure was still.
Your breath hitched. The hairs on your neck pricked. Something wasn't right.
The figure lurched forward. Your bed creaked and groaned under its weight. You thrashed wildly. The sheets tangled around your ankles holding you hostage.
Meaty hands clutched your body tightly. You attempted to scream but it was strangled by a pillow and then two hands around your throat.
You bashed your hands against the stranger. If you were to die, it would not be without a fight.
Your lungs burned. You ached for air. His hands mashed up against your trachea. For a moment, you felt disconnected from your body. Almost painless. You felt the bruises. You felt the pressure. It was all just numb and fading. You squeezed your eyes shut willing a different picture. If this was your last image, you didn’t want it to be a grim shadow.
Weightless.
You opened your eyes as the crushing pressure released and the shadow was replaced by dim moonlight. You heard the crash of a body.
"Never fuck with a Shelby." His malice was charged.
You watch transfixed on the revolver in his hand. There was a click, silence, and then a shot rang out into the night. You were frozen there. You hadn't even felt his hands on you. Your body was shaking but you couldn't tell if it was him or your nerves.
Then his voice brought you back," (Y/N).. Hey, I need you to look at me. (Y/N/N), I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you." You were not used to such softness. It looked weird on him.
You blinked a couple times. Hot, fresh tears stained your face. Tommy pulled you into his arms. He held you close as you sobbed into his shoulder. You were finally safe enough to crumble.
You hadn't a clue about the time, but it felt like forever that he comforted you. You steadied yourself and sat back.
He kneeled at your legs and looked up at you. His eyes didn't miss a detail. You sniffled and brought a sleeve to your nose. There was no time for propriety right now.
"Y- You came back." You choked out. Your voice was hoarse and dry. You wondered if you'd always feel ghost hands wrapped around your throat.
Thomas reached up and brushed a tear from your cheek." You're my wife. I'd never leave you." He may have had many faults, but his loyalty wasn't one.
You tried to look over to the corpse, but Tommy made you look back at him. " I don't understand.. what did I do?" You began to sob softly into your hands.
Tommy took a seat beside you and pulled you into his embrace. He smoothed your hair over your shoulders and planted his lips on your head." I'm sorry,(Y/N/N), I should have listened to you. I'll never leave you alone like that again."
"He didn't come.." you whimpered.
"Come again, my sweetheart?" He stiffened.
"Elliot.. he was here. I thought it was him.. why didn't he come?" You cried numbly.
Despite a searing-hot anger that bubbled underneath the surface, Thomas listened to you babble on about how he was here. He should have heard. Something didn't sit well with Thomas.
As he held you, there was a lot about his trip and what your father had been scared of that were just now starting to make sense.
They had made a fatal error in their pursuit. They'd fucked with you. They had fucked with Mrs. Shelby.
