A/N just going to take a moment to FUCKING SCREAM I JUST WROTE THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER AND MADE ME LOG IN WHEN I TRIED TO SAVE AND DELETED EVERYTHING FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCKKKKKKKKKK I AM SO ANGRY! I'm just going to have a cry because I'm already so frustrated about revision and i wanted a break and now it's just ruined everything because I can't be arsed to re-write everything. Okay sorry rant over. x

..

With the revelation about Rose's precise location, Tommy knew he had to act soon. Although she had been vague about where she was, Tommy knew how to find her. After all, Campbell resided at the same police station in Birmingham and he had already known that's where she'd be, but Rose's information had revealed to him that she was underground. Tommy knew that what he had to do was dangerous - he'd have to go it alone and trying to rescue someone from an actual police station couldn't be an easy feat. Nevertheless, he was determined. Something in Rose's voice had been urgent; she had sounded weak and fragile and close to death. From the connection which she had somehow opened up between them, Tommy had been able to tell that Rose would not last much longer. He had to act fast.

Despite the fact that they had only been in each other's heads for the briefest of moments, those few seconds had set Tommy with a sense of determination. Hearing her voice had been like music in his ears, and for a heart beat he had felt as if she were right next to him - as if he could have reached out to caress her red hair or hold her tiny hand in his own. It had only been a moment. On the battlefield, all that mattered was a soldier's minute. One minute where a man could shoot or be shot. But what mattered here, back at home? Tommy concluded that it was a heart beat. One beat for them to find each other. Another beat for Tommy to lose her once again.

"Polly?!" Tommy called as he shoved open the door to the Shelby house, his steps quick and filled with determination. "Polly come 'ere!"

There was a flurry of activity as the Shelby family all rushed into the small hallway, each one intrigued by the urgent sound of Tommy's voice. Polly pushed througha few moments later, shoving John out of the way as she passed.

"What is it, Tommy?" Pol wondered, standing tall before him with a cigarette in her hand which sent a plume of smoke into the air idly.

"I know exactly where Campbell is keepin' Rose," he announced to the family, pulling out a cigarette like Pol and lighting it up before continuing. "Now the Inspector is after our guns, and I'm almost certain that 'e will 'ave found out where they are. We need to make sure 'e don't get 'is hands on them."

"Tommy, no. Yer can't risk this much just for some guns," Polly argued, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"I would risk anythin' for these guns, Polly. Do yer 'ear me? Anythin'. We need the guns for a deal with Billy Kimber which will 'elp us expand the business into legitimate book making in other places than just Birmingham. So yes, we fuckin' need 'em." Aunt Pol looked ferociously at Tommy for a moment, one of her thin eyebrows raised sceptically. Eventually, she nodded in assent and took a step back, puffing on her cigarette. "Now then, John, Arthur, Finn? I need yer to protect them guns for me, alright? Yer need to move them from where they are now, and quickly. Before Campbell gets 'is 'ands on 'em."

John and Finn quickly nodded in agreement, but Arthur stepped forwards energetically. Tommy could see already that the prospect of action had his older brother alert and wired; he moved with a sudden determination and energy, but he was also unpredictable. Good qualities for what he was needed to do. "Yer goin' to get the girl on yer own?" he asked.

"I 'ave to."

"I'll come with yer," Arthur argued, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Tommy had already considered this option a million times over, but he knew that allowing his brother to come with him was a bad idea. Getting into a police station and taking a prisoner wasn't going to be easy; control and precision was needed. Arthur was too unpredictable and instinctual - he had raw energy, but he did not think about how he would use it.

Tommy shook his head. "Yer can't, brother. I 'ave to do this alone - and I need yer to protect them guns for me with John and Finn, alright?"

It was clear for anyone to see the war which was being waged inside Arthur's head at that moment - half of him wanted to argue, the other half knew that what Tommy said was right. Finally, he backed down. "Alright, Tommy. I won't let yer down."

Taking one final moment to appraise his family who had all gathered in the tiny, cramped hallway, Tommy finished off his cigarette before speaking. "Pol, I need yer to stay 'ere and be ready for when I get back with Rose."

"You better know what yer doin', Tommy," she told him viciously, yet her voice carried undertones of worry and care. Sometimes he was like a son to her.

"Aye," he nodded. "I'll see yer all back 'ere, tonight. Good luck."

Leaving the Shelby household, Tommy hoped to God that his final words to his family were true, and that they would all make it back. For the first time in a long time, he doubted himself.

...

Rose had been given a small ounce of strength after hearing Tommy's voice one more time. The sound had brought her a great deal of comfort, and she was certain now that he would come for her. He had to, for if he did not soon she would not last. Vadoma, who sat beside her and occasionally took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, or whispered kind words, could also see that she did not have long left. Rose's long hair was matted and wild, clumped together from the congealed blood which covered the skin down the back of her thin neck. A deep purple bruise had blossomed across one of her pale cheeks, rivers of blood dried just below. Even beneath her large dress, it was clear to see that she had lost all of her curves and was reaching a stage where she was unhealthily thin from lack of food, her lips dry and cracked like a desert landscape. It was clear that Rose did not have long left, not at all.

"Rose?" Vadoma spoke softly, realising that soon Campbell would be back and they would have to act. The young girl did not even open her eyes at the sound of her name, but instead shifted ever so slightly - the biggest movement her body would allow. "The Inspector will be back soon. We need to think of a location for the guns. Where should i say?"

There was a very long pause as Rose drew up the energy to speak. She pulled in a long, deep breath, and then let it rattle out of her lungs once more. "B-buried," she croaked, voice quiet and hoarse.

Vadoma nodded to herself in agreement, squeezing the young girl's hand once more to reassure her. "I know the perfect place," she said.

It was only moments until they heard the sinister approach of footsteps from above, recognisable only as that of Inspector Chester Campbell. Although she could not move at all, Rose felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, prickling against her skin and creating an odd, sharp pain as they pulled against the congealed blood. She was no longer a stranger to pain. As always, Vadoma had to shuffle away and pretend that she was on Campbell's side, leaving the younger girl once again alone and exposed. The heavy door was pulled open and the Inspector stepped inside, his smart shoes creating a gentle splash as they stepped into the water which pooled on the cold, hard floor. A gently smoking pipe hung from his lips, and he stood there for a moment, looking at the two women.

"Have you found the location?" he eventually asked of Vadoma, moving closer.

"Aye, sir - 'e 'as been quite clever with 'is placing of the guns," she replied, not supplying any more information as yet. Rose could see that the woman was hesitant to follow Campbell's orders.

"Well, what's the damn place then?!" the Inspector suddenly roared, his large fists grabbing a handful of Vadoma's hair and pulling it harshly, dragging her up to her feet. Although Rose could hear the grunt she made from the pain, she never let out a whimper or flinch. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Vadoma took her time before finally giving in. She shook off the old man's hand brusquely, squaring her shoulders and standing in front of him, eye to eye. Rose admired the woman more than anything for that; she had never given in, even though if it were Rose she probably would have. Maybe that made her weak, maybe it just meant she valued her life. Although at this moment in time, she wasn't even certain she did.

"The guns are hidden in the forest just outside of Birmingham: the Gypsy forest," Vadoma finally said. "You see, 'e was particularly clever with this. They're placed right under one of our camps."

"And you're certain of this?"

The old woman nodded, "I looked inside 'er 'ead myself, Sir."

"Curse her then. Do it now."

The command came suddenly, sending Rose's mind reeling into a state of shock. She had known this was coming all along, but she hadn't yet really processed the information. Once this was done, her kiss would be fatal to Tommy. They had never really been anything, but that realisation still sent a pain shooting through the young girl's chest. Vadoma began to approach her, eyes full of sorrow and mouth miming the words 'I'm sorry'. As she placed her hands one on each side of Rose's head, the girl allowed herself a brief moment of mourning for all that could have been.

From the mouth of the old woman, an ancient language began to flow, and Rose felt their foreheads press together, a jolt of electricity passing through her. The tongue the woman spoke in sounded as old as time, and she suspected that it was Romani. The words began whispered and soft, growing louder the longer they progressed. All this time, Rose thought of Tommy, and the way his chiseled body might turn still if ever their lips brushed again. She remembered the first time they ever had, and how the taste was so sweet and the memory so strong. Now, her kiss to Tommy would be sour with the tang of poison. He had protected her life before he even knew her, she realised. He had fought for it from day one, so surely she had to return such a favour. She could never let her fate unfold; they could never fall in love with each other. At least that way, everything would be less painful.

Vadoma's strange words began to get louder and louder, all running together into one long sound which all Rose wanted to do was block out. The sound reached a crescendo, and then stopped dead. Silence consumed the room as one solitary tear rolled down Rose's cheek - a tear to mourn all that could have been, and all that now could never be. So wrapped up in her own profound sense of loss was the young girl, that she never even noticed the moment when Inspector Campbell pulled a gun out of his jacket, and aimed it right at Vadoma, who was still facing her.

"Thank you, Gypsy scum."

b a n g

The old woman fell to her knees before Rose, hands instinctively moving towards her stomach, the site of the wound. Hot, sticky blood oozed between her fingers as she looked up at Rose, shock widening her deep, dark eyes. "I'm so sorry," was all the young girl managed to breathe, her sorrow suddenly turning to anger at the man who had pulled the trigger. "You bastard, you bastard, you bastard!" she screamed at him, more tears converging in the corners of her eyes before falling like a monsoon down her cheeks. Vadoma had put her life on the line to save Rose, but neither of them had expected it to all end this soon. Campbell was even more cruel and ruthless than either of them had anticipated; that much was now clear.

"Yes, Rose. I'm glad you and I finally understand each other. I am now going to retrieve my guns. While I am out, I have told some of my men that they are welcome to you...I thought it might be a nice surprise for Tommy to find that his little whore is not so much his anymore. Good bye, girl."

And with that Inspector Campbell left the room.

The cold boom of the metal slamming closed seemed to wake Rose out of a trance, and as she emerged from it, she realised the gravity of her situation. Her only ally was dead, and in only a short amount of time she would be Campbell's men's plaything. If Tommy did not arrive soon, she was done for. Already she was slipping away, her body growing weaker by the hour from the wounds the Inspector inflicted; surely a beating from any of his men and that would be the end. Perhaps it would be easier if she just let go, Rose thought. At least then she would not have to endure any more pain. After all, what really did she have to live for? Most of her family was dead and her kiss was destined to kill the only other person left to care.

Once again, her vision began to blur in and out of focus, the room spinning slightly even though she was stood still. Rose looked for a brief moment to her friend, Vadoma, who was still crumpled in agony from her gun shot wound. The old woman was cradled over, but as Rose looked towards her, their eyes met. "I...I have a sister..." Vadoma croaked, her voice barely audible. No matter how hard she tried, she was too weak to make it any louder. As she tried again to speak, she began to cough, and a gurgle of blood erupted from her mouth, splatting against the floor. "To...Tommy knows...where..." With a final rattling breath, the old Gypsy's eyes fluttered to a close, and her body crumpled in a dead heap.

Rose had only a few brief moments to grieve before the banging of footsteps sounded above her head...and got closer...

The metal door creaked as it fell ajar, and then flew the rest of the way open, banging against the wall. Rose wished that she could move or run, she wished that she could be free from the ropes which bound her, but she was tied firmly in place, and even if she wasn't she would not have the energy to move. She barely managed to conjure the energy to look up as a man stepped into the room. He was youngish, maybe a few years older than Tommy, and his greasy brown hair was slicked back across his head. When he saw Rose, his moustache covered lips curled up into a smirk, his hands moving to rest on his hips.

"'Ello there yer beauty," he hissed, quickly dropping his suit jacket to the floor. This man meant business and it made the hairs on the back of Rose's neck stand on end. He took a few steps closer before speaking again, his eyes tracing her up and down. "My name's Jack, and I 'ear that yours is Rose, eh?" She did not reply. Jack took a precise step closer, so that he could reach out with one hand and grab a lock of her hair, twirling it between his fingers. He jerked it abruptly, prompting again: "Isn't it?"

"Y-yes," Rose stammered, wishing more than anything that she could pull away, but she couldn't move.

"That's better," Jack whispered, leaning so close to her that his breath swept over her face. His hand moved swiftly from her hair to her cheek, cupping it tightly in his palm. "Be a good girl, eh?" Out of his pocket he produced a knife, which he quickly began slashing at her ropes with. She was unbound in seconds and immediately fell to the floor, her legs not containing enough strength to hold her. "That's it, Rose. 'Ow did yer know I wanted yer on the floor?"

Jack's smirk was sinister. Rose had to bite her lip to hold back the tears which threatened to spill across her face once more. She did not want to give him the satisfaction. Swiftly, he lowered to the floor also, his hands grabbing her ankles to pull her closer to him. Rose let out a whimper as she felt the hard floor scraping against her back harshly. As he moved his body on top of hers, Jack's hand ran up the inside of her leg, pausing just before it got to the top.

"Please don't," she suddenly begged, screwing her eyes closed so she could not see his face. She felt her cheeks become moist with tears. Even more fell from her eyes as she felt Jack's lips move to her neck, kissing at the skin there roughly before swiftly moving to her lips. Rose remained as still as she could, focusing instead on the image of Tommy and all of the details she could remember about him. When Jack's hand cupped her breast roughly she had to focus on not being sick, sobs beginning to wrack her body. His fingers traced down past her stomach, reaching the bottom of her leg as his lips tried again and again to pry her own open. Rose would not budge - she refused. When she felt his fingers reach the bottom of her dress and fist the material roughly, she let out a cry. "Stop!" she screamed, using the last of her energy in a hopeless attempt, "help me!"

"Oh, I'll help yer alright," Jack growled, shoving the material of her dress further up so that he could dig his disgusting fingers into the flesh of her thigh.

One time before, when her brother had trapped her in a whore house, Rose had thought that that was the worst moment of her life - the lowest moment, the darkest hour. She had never imagined then that anything could ever get quite so bad. But that version of Rose was different; she was naive and innocent to all the evils of the world. That version was long gone. But the Rose laying in this room, pressed on her back and pinned down by a man who wanted to rape her...that Rose knew that the old Rose was wrong. This...everything she had been through up to this point, but this...this was the darkest hour. It was so dark that she half wished she could die instead.

Jack's hand was prying its way further up the inside of her thigh, his kisses getting sloppier and his touch getting harder and harder, creating bruises on her soft skin, until it was so close...

...

Tommy decided to take a car to the police station rather than walk; if he went on foot it would take around fifteen minutes and those minutes he just did not have to spare. If he managed to get Rose out, he also needed a way for them to get away as soon as possible - a car seemed like the best option, although it was certainly less conspicuous. It took only five minutes to drive to the station through the many rows of Birmingham streets, and Tommy parked a street away just to be safe. He wanted his arrival to be unannounced. If he was lucky, Campbell would not be there at all, and instead one of the lower officers would be on guard who was on their pay roll. That meant that their loyalty could potentially be swayed his way.

Walking up to the entrance, Tommy felt adrenaline coursing through his system and relished in this feeling, willing it to flood his veins and consume him. He wished he had had a few more whiskies before he came, but time was short and he did not have the luxury of having any to waste. Instead, he had to rely on his adrenaline powering him through. Tommy had brought a gun, but he was hoping he wouldn't have to kill; as much as he enjoyed serving out justice, an inquiry was not something he wanted to be involved in right at this moment.

The door to the police station fell open easily when he pushed it, and as Tommy stepped inside the uncomfortable warmth of the station immediately made him sweat. Behind the front desk a police officer was slumped in his chair, dozing in the afternoon sun which streamed through the windows at the front. There were two options here, Tommy decided: option one was to wake him up and offer him money in exchange for getting past, or option two was letting the officer sleep and sneaking back. He decided to go with the latter, praying his luck held and that the officer would not wake any time soon.

Moving with haste, Tommy moved around the desk and to the door on the back wall, which he presumed would somehow lead towards Rose's underground prison cell. He gently pushed the door open and crept through, closing it quietly behind him again. Once on the other side, a hallway stretched before Tommy, with three different doors on each side. He took a moment to survey the area, his eyes running up and down the corridor until they finally fell upon a small trap-door on the floor at the other end. The square tile which covered it had been partially left off, suggesting that somebody other than Rose was down there. As Tommy approached, he pulled his gun out and readied it, the cool metal sturdy and familiar against his hot skin.

Tommy carefully reached down to pull off the tile, and slid it across the floor so that the hole was open. Below, a winding stone staircase lead into darkness, the smell of damp drifting into his nose before he even set foot down there. He quickly began to descend the staircase, trying to keep each step as quiet as possible so as not to alert anyone to his arrival. It seemed as if the steps went on forever, descending further and further into the abyss of darkness. When Tommy finally reached the bottom, it was a relief. Before him, a huge metal door stood up tall, with a small window in the middle to look through. The glass was covered in dirt so Tommy could barely see through, but nevertheless he squinted until he made out faint shapes in the room.

Through the muddy, cloudy glass, Tommy picked out the vibrant colour of fire which was unmistakably Rose's hair. He only saw a flash of it faintly, but it was there. The harder he looked, the more he could make out. He could see two bodies sprawled on the floor, one on top of the other...

The moment Tommy pieced it together his whole body was sent into overdrive, a flurry of activity he couldn't stop even if he tried. He shoved the door open with all of his force, the heavy metal pushing back until eventually it yielded and slammed open, allowing him to rush into the dull and gloomy room. As he set foot inside, his steps splashed against the layer of water which sloshed on the floor, and his nose was met immediately by an earthy, old smell.

On the floor, in the middle of the room, Tommy finally set eyes on her once more. For the briefest of seconds, their eyes finally met, and they both stared in awe, unable to move or breathe or think about anything apart from the other person. Then, they both realised the situation they were in. Tommy saw the disgusting officer forcing himself onto her - he saw where his hands were, he saw the flash of Rose's exposed thigh and the rips in her dress.

He pulled the trigger without even thinking.

...

Two updates in one day! I really needed to write today - revision is slowly killing me and I needed a break so desperately, this story really helped me get through it. Just two weeks to go and I am free. I hope you are all enjoying the story - the chapters are getting longer as I get into it but I hope none of them disappoint you! Feel free to drop me a comment, I love hearing what you all think so much. Anyway, I'm going to watch some Game of Thrones now. Thanks, as always, for reading.

Much love,

Ellie