The Girl and The Gangster
Summary: After being turned down from every secretarial role in Birmingham, Alice becomes desperate. Unable to provide for her sick mother, herself and more importantly, her young child, she takes a chance on joining the Shelby Company ltd. But when she runs into a familiar face, her whole world comes crumbling down around her.
Chapter Eighteen
Now that she was alone and had a bit of peace to think, her mind roamed to the events of the night before. The look of hurt of Danny's face and the dagger Nora placed into Alice's back had her emotions all over the place; she was sad and angry but mainly confused. She understood why Danny acted the way he did, but her sister was a completely different kettle of fish, what she did, it was inexcusable. Nora was troubled, from what Alice knew she carried a lot of baggage, but to try and steal her husband was a bit below the belt. Alice wasn't ready to see Nora's face again; she didn't know if she ever would be; but she did want to try and smooth things over with Danny. As difficult as he was, he didn't try to blow her life up from the inside out. She stared out the window, a warm mug of tea in her hand as she tried to drum up the courage to leave her house and face Tommy. She knew he'd have a few choice words towards her. If this ruined the deal with the Polish, then all their heads were on the chopping block.
When she got into the office, the first person she saw was Arthur. He placed his hand on her shoulder sympathetically. "Y'alright Alice?"
She nodded and placed her hand over his. "I'm fine. Thank you for catching me, you saved me a lot of hurt."
"I wouldn't say I caught you…" his eyes roamed towards Tommy's door and he gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. "I'm glad you and the baby are alright."
Alice followed his gaze and met eyes with Tommy as he stared blankly at her. "Thanks Arthur." She stepped towards the office and slipped past Tommy as he held the door open for her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked as he lit a cigarette.
"I've been better." She admitted as she looked around the room.
"Well, I'm not going to make your day any brighter."
"Yeah, I guessed. I wanted to come and say that I'm sorry about last night. If I had of known that all of that was going to happen, I wouldn't have invited either of them."
"I know that it wasn't your fault, I don't blame you."
She let out a sigh of relief and tipped her head back. "Have you spoken with Danny?"
"Yeah, called this morning."
"What did he say?"
"The deal's still on but he doesn't want you at the shipyard."
"What? But he said last night…"
"I know, but he's thinking sober now and he doesn't want you there. I've got to respect that decision, or everything goes tits up." He rested his head on his hand and leaned towards Alice. "I get that families are complicated, trust me, I've had many fights with every single person out there but once this all done, we can sort this out."
"What do you mean by 'sort this out'?" a nervous smirk crossed her face as she watched the emotion drop from Tommy's face once again.
"I'm just going to be brutally honest, I believe that the bond that you and Danny were starting to form would've stopped him from trying to ruin this deal but that bond's been blown and you and I both know that he's not the most stable person." He clasped his hands and rested them on his lap as he stared her straight in the eye. "If it comes to it; before he can betray us, I will betray him."
"Are you actually serious?" she didn't give him time to reply, she stood up and slammed her hands onto the desk. "We are not doing anything to him. If he does try to betray you or me or anyone of us, then I will deal with it. I told Michael this from the very beginning."
"I don't think you're capable of carrying it out if the inevitable happens."
Alice stared at him until he lay back in his chair. "Don't touch him."
"I just hope you're right about him for your own sake. I don't want to see you broken hearted."
The conversation between Nora and Michael that she overheard played back in her mind and her eyes closed as the pain struck her in the chest; if Danny did deceive her, Alice would snap but her heart wouldn't be broken because it was already, her fury would overcome her. "That ship already sailed." She composed herself and let out a deep breath. "See you at Christmas, Tommy."
The thought of going home, alone with her thoughts, scared her. She waited for Michael to finish his phone call, watching him through the window until he noticed her and waved her in. She sat beside him on the edge of his desk and waited impatiently for him to hang up the line.
"Did you speak with Tom?" Michael said as he put the phone down. He swivelled in his chair until he was facing her. He could tell that she wasn't happy, her expression made that clear.
"Yeah, Danny's done with me from what I gathered." She ducked her head and picked at the skin around her fingernails. "He doesn't want me at the shipyard."
He placed his hand on her knee and furrowed his brows. "I don't know why you keep trying with him, he ain't good for you and what kind of an example is he going to set Johnny when he keeps stumbling in and out of our lives half drunk and blinded by rage? What's it going to say to him when he keeps fighting us and keeps fighting me?"
"Did Tommy tell you to say all of this?" she rolled her eyes towards him, her brow pointed.
"No, I'm telling you this from the heart. Your relationship with him isn't healthy, one minute it's up and you're pleased but then the next instant it's rock bottom. Cut him off, don't let him hurt you anymore 'cause I hate seeing you like this."
She knew he was right, but she couldn't admit it. Alice didn't want to be like Tommy, fighting against everyone, even family. Caring about Danny was her flaw. "I have to try, one last time."
"Alice…" he threw his head back, shaking it as he stared at the ceiling.
"I know, but when things were good, they were great."
"But it isn't always like that, is it? Your judge of character isn't always sound."
"And what do you mean by that?"
"Nora." He watched her recoil at the mention of her name and spoke to her a little softer. "I did tell you that day in her house that you're so hopeful, you think everything is a fairy-tale but you're so naïve to everything going on around you."
"I try to see the good in people."
"I know you do; you saw the good in me and now we're here. But in this world, you need your head screwed on."
"I don't want to be in this world anymore, I want an honest life."
"What I do is honest. I told you that the work I do is legit."
"But Tommy isn't, not fully and I'm helping him with it all. I worry that he'll suck you back in and then eventually our children will get dragged in too." Alice placed her hands over Michael's and looked him straight in the eye. "With everything that's happened with Nora and Danny, and how I feel about our family's future, I think we need to discuss moving to America."
"You're still caught up on this?"
"I've been thinking about the possibility since I brought it up to you."
"And where do you plan on us going?"
"New York, you could get a job as an accountant and I could find some typing work."
He could see how much she wanted this and part of him worried that if he didn't at least give this move a shot that she would harbour resentment towards him. He couldn't lose Alice again, he felt that sting once and he missed nearly five years of his son's life. Michael wouldn't let history repeat with a second child.
"Okay, after the New Year we'll sit down and work out a plan."
She grinned and picked his hand up, kissing his palm. "We can come back, once the baby's born and for holidays."
"I know, but this isn't going to be easy."
"If it's not easy, it's never usually worth it."
He watched her and eventually nodded at her. "I'm going to give New York a shot but if I don't think things are working out well for any of us, I will bring us back to Birmingham."
"Everything is going to be fine," she leaned closer to him and touched his cheek, "we'll have each other."
Christmas Day, 1927
Everything that was going on in their lives was put to the side as they watched their son open his presents. Both Michael and Alice gifted Johnny with everything that he had asked for, but it was Pol that had truly spoiled him. Michael looked at his mother as she enjoyed her first Christmas with a grandchild. Johnny climbed onto the rocking horse that his grandmother bought him and hugged its neck as he made the horse rock back and forth in delight. Pol couldn't help but laugh as he squealed in excitement.
"I think our boy has a future in horses." She wiped away a stray tear and placed her hands on her lap. "Perhaps he'll be a jockey."
"We'll see how he fairs on a real horse." Michael replied, glancing over at his wife with a grin. "We both know he loves animals."
"He loves horses more than people." Alice got onto her feet and approached Johnny, stroking the back of his head as he continued to play with his new toys. "Perhaps you should thank nanny Pol for your beautiful present."
Johnny leapt off his rocking horse and threw himself into Pol's arms, squeezing her tight. "Thank you for the best present I've ever saw." He allowed her to pull him off the floor and onto her knee.
"Thank you for being the best present I've ever received." She replied with a kiss behind his ear. "I won't keep you from your toys, but I will steal one last cuddle." Pol held him tightly and looked over his shoulder at Michael and Alice. "And thank you for allowing me to be here this morning."
Watching Pol interact with her son, knowing that this could be the first and only time she gets to watch him open presents with them made her feel a little guilty; but their future lied in New York. Michael had already been there, and he knew that the possibilities for himself and their family were endless. She tried to put her guilt to bed and nodded at her mother-in-law. "There's no need to thank us." Suddenly, Alice began to feel emotional and she heaved for a breath, startling Michael. "I'm going to get ready to go to Tommy's."
"Alice?" Michael placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed her gently.
"Sorry, this pregnancy has my feelings all over the place." Alice had tried to keep her emotions bottled, but now it was overflowing. Happiness, guilt and hurt were spilling out of her and she knew that she couldn't cry in front of Johnny; she wanted him to enjoy his time with Pol instead of wondering why his mother was crying. "Can you put all his toys away and get him bathed?" she broke away from his comforting hand and dashed up the stairs.
He tried calling after her, but soon after he said her name, he heard their bedroom door slam shut. He looked at his mother and shrugged his shoulders. "Is this normal?"
"Alice has had a lot to deal with, go check on her and I'll bathe and dress Johnny."
"Are you sure?"
Pol nodded and stood up, fixing her dress as she stepped towards her grandson. "I think I can manage it." She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Go on then, Michael. Your wife needs you."
When he stepped into the room, Alice was sitting on their bed with her clothes laid out in front of her, but her face was buried into a handkerchief that was stifling her cries. It was the worst he had saw her and he wasn't convinced that it was down to her hormones. He sat across from her and pulled her into his chest, allowing her to cry on his shoulder.
"Are you going to tell me the real reason you're crying?" he muttered into her ear.
"This wasn't how I was expecting our first Christmas to be, I thought that my sister would be here, and that Danny would call in with the kids and they would play in our garden. I'm glad that your mother is with us, but I wish my own was here too." She pulled herself away from Michael and dried her eyes with her cloth. "It's my first Christmas without her and watching your mother do the things that mine used to do with him; it's very hard for me. And to know that next year or the year after she might not even get the chance to do it makes me feel very selfish."
"I'd actually forgot that it's your first Christmas without Agnes, you've been so good with your grief that it slipped my mind." Now he was the one that felt guilty. It was the sort of thing that Michael should've realised but their life now had been filled with chaos that it left his thoughts. "And you're not selfish, this move to New York is the best thing for our kids."
"I know, but it still doesn't take away my feeling of guilt. Is it right of us to take Johnny away from his grandmother?"
"I love my mum, but right now my concern isn't about what's right for her." He let out a sigh and thought about his words wisely. "You need to stop worrying about everyone else and worry about what makes you happy. Fuck everyone that isn't us." He got up, pulling her onto her feet too. "Get into your nice dress and forget about feeling bad about yourself. This is the last time I want to hear you doubt yourself about your decisions or what you want."
Alice watched him pick a shirt out of his dresser and realised that he was right; Alice wasn't the same person she was a year ago. She wasn't the Alice that had to bend to everyone's will, if she wanted to thrive by her husband's side, she couldn't be in his shadow clinging to him for help. She let go of her sadness and her guilt and all the other emotions that weighed her down; Christmas was a time for happiness, and she was going to allow herself to be happy.
The whole Shelby family came under one roof and tried to behave themselves in Tommy's house. It was the first time that Alice had saw the wives of Tommy and Arthur or met their children. It was also the first time that she met the gypsies that started the rivalry between Tommy and Danny. All the new people that she had met took to her well and it cemented her place in the family.
"When are you due?" Lizzie asked as she waited for their dinner to be served.
"The doctor thinks I'll have the baby in May."
"You know, I think we're going to have another boy." Michael interjected as he held his glass to his lips.
"What makes you think that?" Arthur called over to him.
"It's just a feeling I've got." He replied, glancing down at the bump that poked through Alice's dress.
"And what do you think, Alice?" Linda asked her, her eyes widening as she followed Michael's gaze. "Do you think you'll have a boy?"
Alice shook her head and rested her hand on her belly. "It's a girl, this pregnancy is different; it makes me feel different. With Johnny I was sick all the time and I blew up. I was massive from very early on. Thankfully I haven't been as ill, and my figure will still be intact." She joked as she looked at Michael. "But we'll see who's right in the end."
"It's a boy." He replied with a smirk.
"She's carrying low," Pol held her hands close to her chest and looked around the table, "I hate to burst your bubble Michael, but you're wrong."
"Place your bets now." Tommy retorted as he sipped at his drink. "We could do with another Alice in the family, so I hope it's a girl."
Michael looked at his wife and took her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. "Well, while we're all here and in good spirits, I want to tell you all that Alice and I have decided to make a big move," he avoided eye contact with his mother at all costs and kept his eyes secured on Alice, "to New York."
Tommy looked at Pol and by the look of her face, she had no idea that this was happening. It wasn't like Michael to keep him in the dark and he didn't appreciate it. "When?"
"After the New Year." Michael dragged his eyes away from Alice and looked Tommy in the eye. "We've been discussing it for a few weeks. It's what's best for our kids."
"No, what's best for the kids is to be around family." Pol protested, her eyes filling up, but she wasn't going to cry.
"Family is part of the reason why we want to leave, with everything that's happened with my family and the way they carry on, I can't bring our children up around that and all the crime," Alice shook her head and tried to make Pol resonate with her, "I don't want Johnny to ever, ever get tangled up in the things that I've seen."
"You know, I really didn't expect this from you Alice." Tommy said tonelessly as he rested his head on his hand. He needed her to keep his business in check; the books had never been better with her on board and she pushed him to stay out of trouble.
"It's not forever but we need to make a life for ourselves." She replied persistently.
"What's the harm, Tommy?" Ada spoke up in defence for the couple. "And I'm sure Pol can go over to New York for a while when the baby's born."
"It's not the point, we're stronger together." Arthur responded, he knew by Tommy's face that he wasn't happy and with everything that they had been through, Tommy's words always rang true.
"And you're sure about this?" Tommy looked at his cousin and raised a brow. He wasn't convinced that this was what Michael wanted, he remembered well how he protested about being sent to New York in the first place and now, suddenly, he wanted to go back? He knew that this was all of Alice's doing.
"I've never been surer about anything." Michael squeezed Alice's hand once more and looked at Pol with a sympathetic gaze. "You're welcome to visit us any time."
"It's not the same as having Johnny around me almost every day." Pol looked at the floor and tried to understand the reasoning behind their decision; she couldn't fault them because when she first found Michael, she wanted to keep him out of all this business. "But, it's the right thing to do."
"Pol," Tommy turned his attention to his aunt, but she ignored him.
"Just please have the baby here in Birmingham so that I can be there."
"I think we can manage that." Alice smiled and glanced at Tommy. "Once that shipment leaves for New York, we'll be following it. Whether you like it or not."
A:N Next chapter we're going to see the shipment finally setting sail and Alice and Michael are going to start a new life in America. Do you think everything's going to work out for them? Let me know what you think. Thank you so much for reading!